







eres, See 
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BRAZOS, AND ROBERTSON COUNTIES. ey 





eas BY thes t ence Bear 


- 


W. KENNEDY. 

















aos gal 


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REPORT 
ON 


GRIMES, BRAZOS, AND ROBERTSON COUNTIES, 





By W. KENNEDY. 





Combes IMaien ab: 





GRIMES COUNTY, 
GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. 


Grimes forms one of a group of counties lying to the north of and 
immediately succeeding the great coastal prairie region, forming an inter- 
mediate plain between that and the still higher iron ore-capped region 
of Leon, Houston, Cherokee, and other counties to the north and east. 
This second prairie, as it might be denominated, lies at a slightly higher 
elevation, and is somewhat more rolling than the primary or coastal plain. 
The texture of the soils, general geological structure, and topographical 
features, as well as the distribution and growth of the arboreal vegeta- 
tion, are also different. 

Although such differences exist between these two great areas, they 
merge so closely into each other at places that it is often difficult to de- 
termine with any degree of exactness where the one ends and the other 
begins. At other portions of the line of contact the separation is dis- 
tinctly marked by a series of high, sandy hills, covered more or less by 
a stratum of coarse, water-worn gravel and pebbles. Such a ridge or 
dividing line exists along the south side of Grimes county. This ridge 
begins, toward the south, in Waller county, and rises gradually from 225 
feet at Hockley to 245 feet at Hempstead, a distance of 14 miles. At 
Howth, four miles north of Hempstead, the ridge reaches an elevation of 
281 feet, and eight miles further north, near the line between Waller and 
Grimes counties, it attains its maximum height of over 300 feet above sea 
level. 

Crossing this ridge, the county falls gently toward the north until, in 


“Pe \939 


6 GEHOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


the region of Navasota, it has fallen to 219-230 feet. From here it again 
rises gently, at the rate of about 10 to 15 feet per mile, reaching its max- 
imum, so far as the area at present under consideration is concerned, of 
370 feet at Iola, in the northern portion of Grimes county. The country 
north of Iola continues to rise gently toward the northwest, through 
Brazos and Madison counties, until the Claiborne greensands of the 
Wheelock prairies are reached, near the Robertson county line. 

The portion of this region comprising Grimes county lies south of 
Madison; Walker and Montgomery counties form the eastern boundary; 
Waller the south, and the Brazos and Navasota rivers the western lines, 
embracing an area of about 781 square miles. 

The topography is extremely simple. The higher grounds are rolling 
and interspersed with numerous prairies. Low flat ‘‘ bottom’’ lands lie 
along the rivers and their larger tributaries, and a low range of gray sand- 
hills covers the southern and southeastern portions. 

The following table gives approximately the elevations of some of the 
principal points in the county: 


Waller county dine 7.502508 eae cca ta elas 6 ine) one ee een eee 240-300 feet. 
OQOUPEMOY 2h aie a aie aiesa 8 coco fone Were bale ade. « ouaseR enn Oe eRe tale te ae 201 feet. 
N BV aSObA ee acide acleren se os bus eb Lees a lene nate i a eS ee ee 219 feet. 
Yarboroug ys poe eee be WW seat view be tise aistociesie ses ae emits ene eee 407 feet. 
PIaANTErs Ville iso Sais eiseat sy ccese azote Bye ants bin baie alin egal ernest ete 323 feet. 
ANCUEGrsOn areetae oes She eee ee Weds ee ete wastace berate 2 aie ee 334 feet. 
PiedMOnP Springs”, 6.1. -amte wa Beg leps wie wee Wkcca ae eae aoe ete el ee 279 feet. 
Kelluin Springs sscae sete a tee a eee aatae 274 feet. 
CAwthorn.': so (cides oe vette tee ye Se es Bie Oo ee eee 300 feet. 
Toda ig ede Wales Cae ee See pee ee cee One ee 370 feet. 
Bedi a8 isp iy wigs sha as ie SEES hc ees Fei a Cee oe ce eT. ee eee 350 feet. 


A narrow, slightly elevated, flat-topped prairie region, beginning on 
the Wm. Burney headright, about four miles south of Anderson, and ex- 
tending in a north or north by east direction for nearly 20 miles, forms 
the divide from which the drainage of the county flows in three direc- 
tions. The waters of the north and south Bedias creeks, with their tribu- 
taries, flow northeast to the Trinity river. Along the west, Gibbons, 
Rock, Holland, Grassy, and Beason’s creeks flow into the Navasota and 
form a portion of the Brazos river drainage system; and in the southeast, 
Garrett Lake, Indian, Cedar, and several other smaller creeks flow into 
and form the headwaters of the San Jacinto river. 


PRAIRIES. 


The generally rolling character of the country changes in places to broad 
stretches of comparatively level country and the resultant is the inter- 
spersion through many portions of the county of numerous prairies of 
varying areas. 


GRIMES COUNTY, 7 


These prairies change the topography, and incidentally the soil and 
native growth, and occur almost altogether within the area underlaid by 
the rocks belonging to the Navasota group. The most important are 
Wallace prairie in the southeastern, Grimes, Navasota, and Fuqua prai- 
ries in the central and western, Roan prairie in the northeastern, and An- 
derson prairie in the northwestern portions of the county. 


GENERAL GEOLOGY. 


The geological section shows broad stretches of alluvial or river de- 
posits extending along the rivers and larger creeks throughout the county. 
The Quaternary deposits are almost exclusively confined to the south- 
eastern portion, where they exist in the form of a yellowish-gray sand, 
intermixed with and overlaid by a coarse gravel. Thin scattering de- 
posits of this gravel also occur at various places in the northern portion 
of the county. 

Underlying these deposits are a series of beds of calcareous clays and 
sands and calcareous sandstones, which, for stratigraphic purposes, have 
for the present been denominated the Navasota beds. ‘They rest uncon- 
formably upon a series of gray sandstones and quartzites, associated with 
extensive deposits of lignitic sands, clays, and small deposits of lignite. 

The general dip of all the beds is in accordance with that of the Ter- 
tiary and later deposits of Southeast Texas. The course is south 30 de- 
grees east. The dip of the lowermost, or Eocene, division is approxi- 
mately 50 feet per mile, while the Navasota beds do not exceed 25 to 30 
feet at the base, with a general. shallowing or decreasing dip toward the 
upper portion of these deposits. 

The general section shows approximately the thickness of the several 
deposits to be: 


1. Recent: River alluvium found along the rivers and large 

CY COMA erat meth ue date eae en she are aa cae Seale pe kos hee ae 25 to 30 feet. 
2. Quaternary: Grayish yellow and brown sands, intermixed 

with and overlaid by fine and coarse gravel, found in the 

southeastern section of the county and occurring as small, 

scattering patches of gravel and pebbles throughout other 

portions. froma few 1nChes: bois oon scree Sarees es macws 50 feet. 
3. Navasota beds: Blue clays and brownish gray sands, contain- 

ing great quantities of nodules of carbonate of lime, gray 

and yellowish white calcareous sandstones and sands...... 350 to 400 feet. 
4, Eocene gray sandstones and quartzitic sandstones, laminated 

blue and gray sands and clays, with lignites, occupying 

the whole of the northern portion of the country, at least.. 1000 feet. 


8 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


(1) RECENT. 


Along the western side of the county the valleys of the Brazos and 
Navasota rivers show a continuous belt of recent deposits, having a width 
of nearly two miles at the southern end, where it is bordered by the 
Brazos, and narrowing northward along the Navasota. Along the latter 
this belt varies in width from a quarter of a mile to one mile. Narrow 
prolongations extend interiorily along the various large creeks tributary 
to these rivers. These deposits are made up chiefly of brown clays and 
grayish brown sands, and in structure present the usual laminated condi- 
tions found everywhere throughout this portion of the State in areas sub- 
ject to overflow. Their approximate thickness is about thirty feet. 


(2) QUATERNARY. 


The Quaternary deposits occurring in Grimes county consist chiefly of 
grayish yellow and orange brown sands, intermixed with coarse gravel 
and small pebbles. In places the sands are altogether wanting, and the 
deposits are represented by thin beds of coarse gravel and_ pebbles. 
The Quaternary gravel and orange brown sands occur in the form of a 
ridge extending across the county along the line of the Gulf, Colorado and 
Santa Fe Railway. They form a high ridge, separating the several prai- 
rie regions, and in many places the gravels are found overlapping and 
mixing with the dark limy soils of the prairies. Quaternary sands and 
gravels also occur about two miles north of Courtney and in the neigh- 
borhood of Retreat postoffice, and the sandy portion of them is very 
heavy in the neighborhood of Yarborough and Stoneham stations, where 
wells 25 to 30 feet deep do not touch anything else. ‘The same class of 
deposits occur around Plantersville, and cover the whole of the south- 
eastern portion of the county. Two miles north of Courtney, on the 
Courtney and Navasota road, the contact between the Quaternary sand 
and the underlying limy clays belonging to the Navasota beds is seen in 
the following section: 


T Back ROU owas bed ohalesielele aielelalp oil. wiafa ole albobeuctts aes @ ether Sarees mene 1 to 3 feet. 
2. Brown sand and-pebblesis; yess). Bike idee eee eee 2 to 4 feet. 
3. Blue limy clays containing numerous nodules of carbonate of lime, 2 to 6 feet. 


Going northward, the gravels, sometimes accompanied with their asso- 
ciated sands, but often alone, are found in thin, scattering patches. In 
the neighborhood of Lamb’s Spring, on the upper George Mason head- 
right, the higher grounds are covered with gravel associated with a yel- 
low sand, which, however, may be derived from the underlying lignitic 
deposits. The same thing occurs near Piedmont Springs, on the Moses 
Evans headright. West of Piedmont, on the James Tuttle headright, the 
gravel is seen overlying the siliceous sinter deposits as in the following 
section: 


& 


GRIMES COUNTY. 7 


1. Coarse gravel (scattering). 
2. Dark gray sand, probably derived from the underlying lignitic.. 11 feet. 
SEP COCU MORE UGE tat ant: ttc gu oe ahi oe ces tecetn Oe OF Fale ethan ote kia wa iunen 4 to 5 feet. 


At Cawthorn postoffice, on the south side of the Naney Anderson league, 
and in the region around that place, the gravel overlies a gray sand, and 
a section shows: 


PR VEORI Uae ERMC Aa htt a techie aie evens eh cds wale eeams Cas p « 5 feet. 
ADU Le Pa LI LULC CLAN cise Be these cities eaten lah ee dices ee vies Rares 15 feet. 
3. Light gray sand and sandstone, thinly stratified........ eer anne arene 6 feet. 


Near Iola, on Anderson prairie, the section shows: 


SLIT RAAT BV ASOLL ete cen eRe ote iad ade minh. e Gea aiedic« foo ales +4 s)eie ages 1 foot. 
Swell erat Oferavel and, [oscil WOOd 2)... 5. «sense cele nae 6 inches. 
Ree TaCE TL ea LY CAT Viwieend inset oie ea tees ars nte a haves ec 21 Ste eee oe 4 ne 2 to 4 feet. 


The belt of yellow and brown sand occurring in the neighborhood of 
Plantersville extends northward along the eastern line of the county 
throughout the greater portion of the piney region. Five miles east of 
Anderson, in the neighborhood of Apolonia postoffice, and for a distance 
of over five miles toward the south, wells dug 50 feet deep obtain their 
water supply in these sands. 


NavasotTa BEps. 


These deposits have been tentatively classified as the Navasota beds 
because of their extensive development in the neighborhood of the town 
of Navasota. Their general section shows them to be separable into two 
divisions, comprising: 

a. Upper division: Blue and yellow, sometimes red, clays. with con- 
cretions or nodules of carbonate of lime, and showing occasional 
strata of gray calcareous sands and thinly bedded. coarse grained, 
soft calcareous sandstone, and containing more Cretaceous shells 
throughout the sands. having a thickness of at least............. 75 feet, 
b. Lower division: Gray and yellow calcareous sandstones, interstrat- 
ified with coarse yellow sand, containing many worn specimens 
of Cretaceous shells and beds of a tufaceous yellow colored silice- 
ous limestone, having at least a thickness Of.,.............0ceees 350 feet. 


a. UPPER DIVISION. 


These beds, as already stated, are made up of blue and yellow, occa- 
sionally red, limy clays, strata of gray calcareous sands, and thinly bed- 
ded, coarse grained, soft calcareous sandstones. 

The prevailing characteristic of the deposits belonging to this division 
is the peculiar condition of the contained lime. This is usually found in 
the form of concretions or nodules, varying from two to four inches in 
diameter, of different degrees of hardness when freshly dug, but easily 
crumbling to a fine powder when exposed to atmospheric agencies. So 


10 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


great is their tendency to disintegrate, that in many places they have 
covered the whole of the exposed surface of the clay bed with a fine 
white flour-like powder. 

The area covered by this division les mostly in the southern portion 
of the county, but extends northward along the eastern boundary as far 
as the latitude of Longstreet, in Montgomery county, and in places ex- 
tends westward to within six miles of Navasota. Going south, the same 
deposits are found in wells at Howth Station, in Waller county, and are 
also exposed in Linn creek, four miles south of Hempstead. The exact 
position of the beds is somewhat hard to determine, owing to an absence 
of good sections; but from what can be seen, the inference is drawn that 
they form a belt of from twelve to twenty miles in width along the 
southern border of the yellowish gray sandstones of the lower division. 
Small isolated patches also occupy depressions formed in the underlying 
division in many portions of the county. 

In Grimes county, in the neighborhood of Courtney, the beds belong- 
ing to this upper division have a known thickness of fifty feet, as seen in 
the following section of Capt. Christian’s well: 


1.<Stiff blue clay, with dime nodules... 4 s.vcwcqea ee eee sarees Oe eee 50 feet. 
2, Gray sandstones, sand, and Hmestone (?)icgces anes ee es cee eeeines 25 feet. 


About two miles north of Courtney, on the Courtney and Navasota 
public road, a washout shows a section of: 


ly Black BoLband (Su bS01bsi16% Gis. «os aleslew Onis teieie < phere o nee rere wens 1 to 3 feet. 
22 Brow Sand with? peb ples. yeas 'sulee bweals pitas Si eee eee 2 to 4 feet. 
3. Blue clay, changing to red, and in places white, containing nu- 

merous nodules or concretions Of Hm6 2,5... 4. ss. se se ea ee 2 to 6 feet, 


The white color of this clay is due to the great quantity of lime present 
in the deposits. These clays with the contained lime are also found about 
six miles east of Navasota, lying along the northeastern boundary of 
Grimes prairie. In this area the beds are colored a light gray, and show 
the following section: 


Brow Sad 3005 cts Paes ee eee re ces eee ne ee eee 3 feet. 


ik 

2. Grayish sandy clay, with concretions or nodules of lime.......... 8 feet. 
Oe OL hin Stra tuin OfssandsLoiere, 75.5 secu oss te oe ieee aoe eee Ree 6 inches. 
4, Bluish gray sand, with nodules of lime and clay................0. 2 feet. 


Near Longstreet, in Montgomery county, and close to the Grimes 
county line, the same blue clays and lime concretions appear in various 
places where cuttings have been made deep enough to go below the sur- 
face deposits of brown sand. 

The dip of these deposits appears to conform roughly to that of the 
underlying division, and to have a general S. 30 E. direction, not ex- 
ceeding from ten to fifteen feet per mile. 


GRIMES COUNTY. 1 


b. LOWER DIVISION. 


The characteristics of the lower division of the Navasota beds are gray 
and yellow calcareous sandstones, interstratified with coarse yellow sand, 
containing many worn fragments of cretaceous shells, and beds of tufa- 
ceous yellow colored siliceous limestone. 

The sandstones are extremely irregular in structure, passing rapidly 
from a quartzitic nature to a soft sandstone, and then as quickly to a 
scarcely consolidated sand. Even where of good texture they are thinly 
bedded and flaggy. They are rarely continuous over any great extent, 
but are usually lenticular, alternately changing into coarse sand and large 
lenses of sandstone. 

The region overlaid occupies the whole of the central portion of 
Grimes, and extends westward across the Brazos river into Washington 
county. ‘Towards the south the sandstones appear on Beason creek, in 
the bottom of Captain Christian’s well at Courtney, and in many places 
in the region occupied by Wallace and Grimes prairies. The extent and 
thickness of these deposits toward the east are not so well known, but 
from our present knowledge of them they do not appear to extend far 
across the Grimes county line. At Longstreet, in Montgomery county, 
the yellow and gray sandstones are replaced by the blue limy clays of the 
overlying deposits, and in the northern portion of Grimes county the 
lignitic deposits of the underlying Eocene appear upon the surface as far 
south as one mile south of Bedias Postoffice on the South Bedias creek. 

On the western side of the county the known Eocene lignitic deposits 
are found as far south as Lamb Springs, on the upper George Mason 
headright, and for some two or three miles further south. Toward the 
eenter of the county the boundary line between these sandstones and the 
lignitic deposits is very irregular. The sandstones thin out rapidly, and 
in some places appear only as isolated patches surrounding the higher 
grounds, while the lower shallow valleys show the streams to be running 
through the underlying lignitic sands and clays. An illustration of this 
may be seen in the neighborhood of Cawthorn Postoffice. The postoftice 
itself and Mr. Siddall’s gin house, about a quarter of a mile north, stand 
upon a 12-foot bed of gray sandstone. Two miles south of the postoffice, 
on Cat creek, the section shown has a decidedly lignitic appearance, 
being: 


1. Scattering gravel. 

BMESTOW I ANMNALCH GAY, cu. cs. cate coh a rere chet CTE Gates ts ais cae a5 3 2 feet. 
SM MO LOUIOLALC'. oie c'sielc 5.00. ng) talvin Wola sales Gieiel Risa aoe a dwtderes os < aie 2 inches. 
RIES RVD FATT LCG a oa Sis cole'o15.s snule'e ba ot alain ieee tareteraiol Ott tela ay aleeips elt pe sae «aes 4 feet. 
freprowhish blue clay to, bottomiof creek win Pages aly oh hein dates scene ws 8 feet. 


The difference in elevation between these two places is only about 35 
feet in favor of Cawthorn. 


je GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS, , 


To the eastward of this about four miles, on the James W. Scott head- 
right, the same thinning out appears, as the whole thickness of the gray 
sands and sandstones does not exceed forty feet, lignites having been 
found at that depth in a well on the east side of the headright. 

Throughout the area covered by these sandstone beds the soil is usually 
thin and the sandstones appear upon the surface in many places. 

Thus around Navasota and in going north along the Lamb Spring 
road, a ridge of soft sandstone, with occasional thin beds of clay and beds 
of sand, trends N. 40 E., and follows the road for nearly four miles to 
the edge of the bottom lands along Holland creek. This ridge looks to- 
ward the west and rises occasionally into bluffs from fifty to seventy-five 
feet in height. At Holland Creek the bluff shows a section of: 

Ee Gray sandy Suriaee SOL) ..cvere sic cee atone orale ear cnt ane 1g to 1 foot. 
2. Gray calcareous sandstone, thinly bedded or flaggy, showing a 
roughly pitted surface and breaking into irregular lenticular 


masses, interstratified with coarse gray and yellowish gray 
sand, and -inclosing nodules:of white Glave. .c2.. = 76 fea te 120 feet. 


Fuqua prairie is underlaid by these yellow sands and calcareous sand- 
stones, and in numerous places patches appear‘extending Over one or two 
acres, absolutely devoid of soil and showing the white underlying beds. 
A small creek near the center of the Fuqua league shows a section of : 


De pDarK sOil os coe Gane ot ccs ect wo sae Biss ote is ete ee ae a este a 1 foot. 
2. GAY ISH WHIT sandstoire ts. een 6» otal ae aoe ete eee ee 2 feet. 
3. Yellow, changing to white, clay orsandy clay -<:t-.22 0. 24s eee eee 


On the Anderson and Navasota public road the whole country, from 
three miles north of Navasota to Holland creek, is underlaid by the gray 
sandstones of this group, in no place very far beneath, and in many places 
forming the surface. North of the creek the region is occupied by the 
same gray marls which cover the country forming Fuqua prairie. 

North of Anderson, Roan prairie presents features somewhat similar. 
The same yellowish gray sandy material and calcareous sandstones appear 
in almost every break throughout the region. One milesouth of the Roan 
Prairie postoflice, forty feet of interstratified gray sands and sandstones, 
showing occasionally much broken impressions of palm leaves, are seen 
along the side of the hill. The sands and sandstones in this section are 
thinly stratified and the beds rarely exceed six to eight inches in thick- 
ness. 

Five miles north of Anderson, on the Kellum Springs road, a cutting 
shows a section of: 

Tepelack soil and BUBSOL. oo. eu. GAs wea da Ree ea oe eg ee 3 feet 
7. Vellow sand, with limy concretions {.:.2. 325 rc cen eee ae 2 to 5 feet 


Ge ARTA REIS EOTLOS veo 0. 0564 w voce 2 + so dom g auetal ol oteiy coe i eta eee 10 feet 
AS TY GHOW ASAD Uixg vse clocr eo ees oes aie a 0 pie. nels pligioa mot Meier mee See 


GRIMES COUNTY. 13 


The contact between these sandstones and the underlying lignitic 
Eocene deposits is seen in the northeast corner of the county, near Bedias 
Postoftice. Here the gray sandstones are very much broken and inter- 
Stratified with gray sandy clay and gray sand. A general section, ex- 
tending over a length of four miles from near Bedias’ southward along 
the Anderson and Bedias road, shows: 


PCa Ate SAT) ye LL OL Cmte ie ettucls eg < ailniat Ga dline aid date erates ocon Ue 1 to 3 feet. 
PPP VE RATIO BLOT Gime nter m ere ta ae isla y'y sav hine cee es Tansee wie pelea wkd 1 to 3 feet. 
pepe Te VRCAD CL VOL aye Meiers Maa ele ci waig y wice ae ye ans cea o ie vies Beaks 10 feet. 


In this region the sandstones also thin out very rapidly, and with their 
associated gray sands and sandy clays form only a thin covering overly- 
ing the lignitic sands and clays found at Bedias and further north. 

From the general slope of the country and the position of the sand- 
stones the dip of these beds appears to be about fifteen feet per mile. 

On the northwest corner of the Bigham White league these sandstones 
appear as quartzites in places, but change rapidly to a soft grayish white 
sandstone. Two miles north of the Kellum Springs, on the Iola road, a 
washout close to Little creek shows a section of : 


Lee LEG ee Ch ep gt eM MeN Ry eee Late cide ahsig wc ’aia <) Sle ocx aia ace’ ee 4nd oe, acme Liters 1 foot. 
DPE NG a aera a ite ele PER Hed CeCe a Star ed eg Song aida! has a aralie A wie aie 8 ete keh g Ses 114 feet. 
DR POMS OLB WOT Oty Ce mutes wivieret oes da ulate ee 5 cle eal alals 4% slale arya oete a eierelecg ata 1 foot. 
ha Ts FERC SL epee arcs tes ah eer ad teh sivas ete eapeved alata Ghote: site oki 41) q4i ate auedudey ath maf ales Aig es plas > 


Dip very gentle toward the southeast. 
At Kellum Springs the combined section shown in Chalk branch and 
at the springs gives the following : 


POE rary SEDO aR EOL RIN oi oe oes CoE RE 15 feet. | 
2. Gray sandstones, thinly stratified with partings of gray sands.. 2 to 6 feet. 
3. Lignitic sands and clays, dipping southeast 8 degrees in places, 


but usually not more than 3 to 5 degrees, and showing a 


BEEITEOM OT UTICA UIOULS stack ose atte hes vo sd aitinls we wine gis aara'e «she's 5 to 12 feet. 
4, Very fine chalky white siliceous sinter and white sand......... 2 feet. 
ee TVELT EGU RSTACT Wen, i athe Uo levee NRA tus es Massa petoRNG CUR ARIE CONT ctl dea ale 1 foot. 
6. Brown lignitic sandy clay ...... cc cee ces e nse cee cece tec ee eee e ee see eee ences 


Three miles east of Kellum Springs the gray sandstones again appear 
in a small creek, and the vountry from this point to Roan prairie is cov- 
ered with gray sand, through which the sandstones occasionally appear. 
Wells dug in this neighborhood pass through this deposit at a depth of 
over forty feet. 

The base of these beds is seen in a creek on the north side of the James 
Cox league, a little over a mile east of Piedmont Springs, near the old 
Webb place. The section at this place being: 


*3—Geol, 


14 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Lo. Gravsand’/and Prayer 2 iG ir ener ne mere merieee 8 an ane Damen na 2 to 10 feet. 
2. Broken gray sandstone, stained brown on outside and contain- 

ing casts or impressions of dicotyledonous leaves........... 2 feet. 
3.) Blue clay, daminated and join bedin ier is mctaaws yon yee Stans teereet 4 to 10 feet. 
4 WELPUg ID ONS SANG. Shoe vse Mase hia wus ang ts ape er eee etuin Ae onan eaten tag 1 foot. 
Dd. Handy Clay... White wmd SLAIN MOTO Wal sip ok ake sites eek te eae oe 4 to 6 feet. 
6. | Laminated) blue sandy clay 7245 ean he nn eal het nee eno ent 5 feet. 
Tguamina bed: Drown. Bandy cla Wen 102. ste gun cae kick eens een Cen see 5 feet. 
8. Urregular deposits ol brown isandstone! ...h 02.0 @ ayes ane bari er ae eerie 


Broken deposits of quartzitic sandstones occur near the base of these 
beds on the L. J. F. Mammel headright. 

Throughout the central area and along the southern boundary of this 
croup of deposits the sections obtainable are neither so plentiful nor so 
satisfactory. The general prairie-like nature of the surface of the coun- 
try, together with the small number of creeks and their generally shallow © 
courses, prevent the obtaining of sections of any depth. 

The Rocky creek section shows the sandstones to be prevalent throug- 
out the whole of that creek’s course. They are soft and inclined to be 
conglomeritic, with patches of lime in places, and are frequently covered 
with a black calcareous soil in which a few nodules of lime occur. In 
this region they also show a thinning out, as wells from thirty-five to 
forty feet deep are reported to obtain their water supply from a blue clay. 

On Holland creek, five miles northeast of Navasota, a section shows: 


EPID ACK SOU so ose ela si s.n ea tage b eb Seles (heehee Rha ken weasel fb Gln eee: tina Es 5 feet. 
Bi Cera pan PROT Git ly aie id \pomeds a ate, 8a art pies puliaee eee mnt ata tet beetats Rete ote ee a ee 4 inches. 
3. Yellow limy clay and thin strata of flaggy sandstone ............. 6 feet. 


One mile north of Navasota, on the Millican road, the ridge of sand- 
stone already mentioned crosses the road, and the section shown from the 
top of the ridge to bottom of a small washout is: 


1. Soft gray sandstone, in thin strata at top and heavy bed below. 
(The thin flaggy division is separated from the heavy bed 


by a thin seam of calcareous clay one inch thick.)......... 216 feet. 
2)'Thin seam ol: calcareous aiavi cen pines pon Ate ees nls ee eee 2 to 6 inches. 
3. Indurated eross-bedded yellow sand: . 5... 0... sau. s sean ene ees 3 feet. 


The artesian well bored at the Navasota ice factory shows a section of: 


lwurtace soil, dark Pray ands dim yy 2.3). 5 obs 108s sarge oe een 20 feet. 
BE VVUALLE (CLAY... ss 355 <isccte nye pete ede ek das ie Gre erence gine pes hale arate een ce 97 feet. 
3, mereowhite rock (sandstonein is. yer «6 ses wey le an ete eee eee 10 feet. 
ARO ATED it is uk) aie whos als bialebe otetasepuillelhs ax ile ots ee GUeLaRS LMT agate Whtt sit toa eee ere eee 90 feet. 
Bo thOCK COTAY SANAStONE) Casale een 6 calles 226 CR asvig ante eeeneN inate ioe 4 feet. 
GGA gs Rie NG eee ork TL) DIG SIL a eile gates gerd ace ae eR Te cok? 3, feet. 
7. Rock (gray sandstone), not bored into more than a few inches...... ....... 


At mile post No. 166 on the Houston and Texas Central Railway a 
cutting shows a section of; 


GRIMES COUNTY. 15 


IS Cray cand WOE GNU) OTAVOLS totic oabs mer oes Sarum neha, 2 ide EMG. 1¢ foot. 
Sa aee tit OO 2G OF ca ORGO a. facda: aku tetel ae Ae alee Lie a/c we el | 1 foot. 
BanCTORSNOCUOU COATS, VOLLOW BaN Cy ocxe he feed nu aiesielaed us. dimen coals 4 feet. 
Par L iin led Peso ie Sand stones iar sree leces Cee el Meee ten. Cemaiee face 3 feet. 


The dip of these deposits is south of east and at a very low angle. 


EOCENE. 


The northern portion of Grimes county is occupied by a series of 
thinly stratified beds of sands, clays, and lignites, and occasional thin 
beds of sandstones, being a part of deposits which cover a wide area, ex- 
tending from the Sabine river westward to and beyond the Brazos river, 
and which have hitherto been placed at the base of the Fayette beds. 
They belong to the beds described by Dr. Penrose* as ‘‘ a series of clay and 
sandy strata, the clay rapidly becoming more and more predominant as 
we go up the series,’’ and the base of the formation becoming ‘*‘ composed 
of clays and lgnite beds.”’ 

These deposits have been hitherto considered as the equivalent of the 
Grand Gulf series of Hilgard’s Mississippi section, and considered as of 
Miocene age. 

They are now assigned to the Eocene, for the following reasons: In 
1890 the first invertebrate forms observed by the present Survey in the 
Fayette beds were found by Mr. E. T. Dumble in the sands immediately 
overlying these clays in Lee county. During the course of the work of 
the Survey of 1891 a number of fossils were found in Polk county near 
the top of the gray sands and sandstones in undisturbed deposits, also di- 
rectly overlying these beds,f and again during the present year’s field 
work, Mr. J. A. Singley found fossils in the laminated lignitic sands and 
clays on the Yegua river, at Bluff crossing, in Lee county. 

During the course of the present season’s work in Brazos county, 
fossils have again been discovered in the gray sandstones directly over- 
lying and in contact with these beds. All these fossils have been studied 
recently by Mr. Gilbert D. Harris, the Tertiary paleontologist of the 
Survey, and assigned by him to the Eocene, he having found among 
them such typical fossils as Cardita planicosta, Sow., Calyptrophorus 
velatus, Con., and others: These belong to the Claiborne division of the 
Eocene, and their occurrence in the laminated lignitic sands and clays, 
and in the gray sandstones, necessarily place these deposits in that divis- 
ion, together with the underlying beds of lignitts, sands and clays, and 
' the thinly laminated blue and brown gypseous clays and sands lying be- 
tween the fossiliferous greensand marls of the Moseley Ferry, Wheelock, 
and Cook mountain sections. 


*Penrose, First Annual Report Geological Survey of Texas, 1889, p. 47. 
tKennedy, Third Annual Report, Geological Survey of Texas, p. 115. 





16 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


The connection between these gray fossiliferous sandstones and the 
fossiliferous greensand beds of previously known Claiborne age will be 
seen in the following section: 


1. Gray sand and sandstone, containing Cardita planicosta, Calyp- 


trophorus velatus, etc ...... Mog an wer Gore sided VY Sor ee hans AB Ae cat! 4 . 6b feet. 
2. Thinly stratified and laminated gray sands, clays, and lignites, 

with Cardita planicosta and other Eocene fossils............... 1000 feet. 
3. Dark blue and brown laminated clays and sands, containing crys- 

ATS OF SV SUITING helo vo wiuatat abs lesa eUleainldlty te tue on chatteas taeda, oo ME ear ee 50 feet. 


4, Brown, yellow, and green sands, containing Claiborne fossils, 
Cardita planicosta, Lamark, Conus sanridens, Conrad, Spirorbis 
leptostoma, Swains, Plicatula filamentosa, Conrad, Cytherea 
Sry AN GiOtherne Peay Sate thinee Melee eee eatin cd Puen ie aes eee Eee ge ‘800 feet. 


Of these No. 1 and No. 2 occur in Grimes and Brazos counties. The 
fossiliferous sandstones have not been seen in the former, but occur in 
Brazos county, a few miles west of the Navasota river. The only rep- 
resentatives of the gray sandstones in Grimes is a small series lying im- 
mediately under the the calcareous sands and sandstones of the Navasota 
beds. ‘The gypseous clays and sands of No. 3 occur in the form of a 
narrow strip about fifteen miles north, along the northern boundary of 
Brazos county, where they directly overlie the fossiliferous greensands of 
No. 4, as seen in the Cedar creek section near Wheelock, in Robertson 
county, and in Brazos county, near Benchley, as well as Moseley Ferry, 
in Burleson county. 

In the report on the Brown Coal and Lignite of Texas the Eocene divi- 
sions of the State, as recognized by the Survey, are divided into four 
great divisions* as shown in the following table: 





Character of beds as 





Division. Position in section. shown in Grimes 
county. , 
Fayette division vicoAuae wes. e: No.1 of above section|Detached beds of 
small extent. 
XY egua GIVISlOnG a.) pee aes Nos. 2 and 3 of above/Gray sands, clays, 
section. lignites. 
Eocene. |: -_..  ( Marine |No.4ofabovesection|Not found 
‘|Timber Belt division; 7." . j ‘ i 
toe ( Lignite |Not represented in)Not found. 





above section. 
Basal division. 2..42.¢ Rah ea Not represented in|Not found. 
above section. 











The most typical division of these phases of the Eocene developed in 
Grimes county is the Yegua division No. 2 of the above section, and 
consists almost altogether of dark gray clays and gray sands, with occa- 
sional deposits of lignite. These beds have a known thickness of 1000 
feet. 








* Report on Brown Coal and Lignite of Texas, p. 124. 


> 


GRIMES COUNTY. WW 


The record of a well bored at Lamb Springs, on the George Mason 
headright, near the southern boundary of the lignitic area in Grimes 
county, while probably not quite as specific as might have been desired, 
nevertheless shows that the lignitic. strata had not been completely 
pierced at the end of the boring, as lignite was found at a depth of 939 
feet, and that the next sixty feet of the well ran through ‘‘ rock and 
clays.’” ‘The water contained was strongly saline. This great thick- 
ness is corroborated by the records of the boring of a well at the Agricul- 
tural and Mechanical College, near Bryan, in Brazos county. In this 
well over 900 feet of gray sands and clays were passed through before 
fossiliferous deposits were reached. 

The southern boundary of these deposits in Grimes county is extremely 
sinuous, and, owing to the overlying materials, very difficult to ascertain 
with any degree of accuracy. Beginning on the east side of the county, 
the line begins on the Wesley Fisher headright, near the southeast corner 
of the Evan Corner league, and extends in a slightly south of west course 
as far as the Gwyn Morrison headright, and thence in a generally south- 
westerly direction to Gibbon’s creek, where the creek crosses the south 
line of the Philip Goodbread league. Here the line changes a little more 
westerly in its course to the Navasota river. 

The country occupied by these deposits is generally level and covered 
by prairie-like areas and extensive post oak flats. The sections obtain- 
able are few and generally shallow. Owing to the objectionable quality 
of the water found in these sands very few wells have been dug, and any 
data received from the well diggers are at best unreliable. 

The few sections obtained in this region show the structure of these 
deposits to be chiefly sands and clays, with thin seams of lignitic matter 
and small deposits of an earthy brown lignite. 

A section on the Jola and Bedias. public road, where it crosses the South 
Bedias creek, shows: 


URS TA Ve RAIN VV SOLU ts as ele estat, «ane are os, el ated chatetetaml al MR ante eee cMeta Sha Sisal 1 foot. 

Dae CMW, EIN y Sead hea) deeds eit ork a latte tate etree eum ame herrea ger stem arse awe AAS 2 feet. 

3. Gray laminated sandy clay, stained brown on outside, ee lignitic 
Streaks fOormine the DALGiee jon Jeteaye te orale tia tease aR ak ase al alah hac 4 feet. 


One mile south of Iola, in the bank of a small creek running through 
Anderson prairie, the following section is seen: 


Pama OTay Sandy SOM Wa cake Oeste ada vacclaeay akan em ale odie. 6,5 at 2 feet. 
2. Light gray sandy clay, dipping nearly east................ 1 inch to 1 foot. 
sark oray, changing toa pale browny sandy Clay Wied oa eee eee ces 


Between Bedias and Iola the country is flat and prairie-like, interspersed 
with small motts or clumps of timber, and very generally covered with dark 
gray sandy soil containing numerous fragments of silicified wood. Near 
Bedias there are several small outcrops of brown clay and a soft, earthy 


18 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


brown coal, which form the surface materials over small areas. The 
soft, earthy brown coal also occurs in the neighborhood of Cawthorn 
Postoffice, where it appears on the surface, and in the banks of several 
small creeks. A section on Cat creek shows the following: 


NIG TAVELA Sate ee tre she Wace He RAN Go ee BAP SNe he te esi ree ee ree Scattering. 
2; "Brown Jaminatedscla ys x Ak oe he ees ee ee een nar 2 feet. 
D. Mong lOmerale Lc. Spa okns sei gat hers akek Glen eieer aie = nae cane 2 inches. 
4.) Harbthy.brown coal sina. ton en. vies eee eee ek tenet ae aes 4 feet. 
5... Brownish blue. elay to bottom, of creekiV. 4... osama eee ® 8 feet. 


About a mile north of Kellum Springs a creek crossing the Anderson 
and Iola public road shows a section of: 


17 Brownish’ gray sandy SO Spawn wes ween Came lee oe een a ee 1 foot. 
2. Brown clay with lgnitie materialar nts. c wg sec bet hae eee een 4 feet. 
5). Harthy brownicoaly iis 3. sieeve 3.5 Galak ge nk ee ae Se 1 foot. 
4° Thin Seams Of whitecla yew. cho ksh 4 ate aot nas tan en alee ee eee 4 inches. 
bi Brown jointed clay. heads SYS a ye yan we elete a tenets ete ee 3 feet. 


On the west labor of the A. A. Boatwright survey a section shown in 
the banks of Tanyard branch is as follows: 


1, ieurface soll, Pray Band GA. Ses ve nee mie terete eee: ites Siete te eee ee 1 foot. 
2. Gray sand yoolay: i) fence & <5) ole’: lakes We areerte ae ots caet te ig ee ee ee 3 feet. 
Be Gray Clay. wit by corde pe PRRs bee ole epic. eae ep en es 1 foot. 
4. Marth y Drown Coal. see. ise cc sie ees ee Re Oe ae ele eee 3. feet. 
0 BYOWD COB] stb ates tt scely Sx Reo Gets © cca ae tea en ae ate ee 4 feet. 


In going up the creek the section changes slightly, and about a mile 
distant the bank shows: 


1, Suriace, Sr ay Sando yc. Ae y Speaens ak aete: en eehe esteaente 7s a ee 1 foot. 
2. Yellow sand. 20s “22S, Gee ie ee ea ee ee cetera 114 feet. 
Dd.» Lhinly Jaminated Drown sandyicla yer, ents es ie ee eee 2 to 6 feet. 
4) sHarthy brow COad 0 tire. meme pene ele Death id 0 Sicha dius st A ene 11 feet. 
bs brown Coal,’ Very-sanld Vian pees te enn ee ee ae 4 feet. 


In this area the country is very level and covered with a. grayish 
brown sand containing great quantities of silicified wood, in many in- 
stances showing its structure. Some of these blocks are very large, and 
trunks of trees measuring over twenty feet in length and from two to 
three feet in diameter are of frequent occurrence. 

_ The presence of this class of fossil wood, showing in its sober gray and 
brown tints the texture and general formation of the tree, is the more in- 
teresting from the fact that only two miles southwest of this place the 
the brownish gray sand had given place to light gray sands and white 
clays, the contained woods of which are beautifully opalized in white, 
amber, yellow, and brown colors, some of which show in their glassy 
structure the original texture of the wood, but in many this texture has 
been altogether destroyed. 


GRIMES COUNTY. 19 


Going westward, from Iola to the Navasota river, the country is roll- 
ing and covered with a grayish brown to light gray sand, containing 
great quantities of silicified wood. Small seams of lignite occur in Bull 
creek, about two miles southwest of Iola, but these are very irregular and 
very thin. 

In no place throughout the wide area occupied by these deposits in 
this portion of the State has the dip of these beds been satisfactorily ob- 
served. In many places they shew excessively high dips, and again, 
within a few miles, the dips have changed to correspondingly low angles, 
and frequently reverse or northwesterly dips occur for short distances. 
A measured section at Moseley ferry, on the Brazos, gives the underly- 
ing fossiliferous greensands a dip of seventy-five feet to the mile, and the 
same beds on Cedar creek, near Wheelock, have a closely corresponding 
slope. The gray calcareous sands and sandstones of the Navasota group 
do not dip more than fifteen to twenty feet per mile. These laminated 
sands and clays conform to neither of these groups in so far as seventy- 
five feet is altogether too high, while the maximum twenty feet of the 
overlying deposits is as much too low. From the records of the different 
borings obtainable a dip between forty and fifty feet per mile is estimated 
as being approximately correct. 


PIEDMONT SPRINGS AREA. 


During the closing period of the Eocene, or early in the time of the 
deposition of the newer gray sandstones, considerable changes took place 
throughout Texas, which resulted in the deposition of an irregular belt 
of light gray clays and sands, and in places pure white clays associated 
with beds and irregular deposits of a white siliceous sinter. Deposits of 
this period occur in Polk county near Corrigan, and on Chalk branch in 
the northern portion of Walker county, and in other localities west of 
the Brazos.* 

In Grimes county these deposits are best developed in the neighbor- 
hood of Piedmont Springs. Small outcrops of sinter occur at Kellum 
Springs and on Mr. S. Smith’s land, about two miles east of Union Hill. 
In the Piedmont Springs area the deposits consist of light gray sands, 
with great quantities of beautifully opalized wood, sandy clays, white 
thinly laminated fine-grained clay, and extensive irregularly shaped de- 
posits of siliceous sinter. A section close to the springs shows: 


REIT OT AY, CAT nce 2 vit vpceil teal ones AME ees Mae Minerva Oe Ge Uda dhe, a siafa @ 5 feet. 
wiseoeeray Or pinkish gray sandy Clay we. vata wees Hs stoace oes a apeisic's 2 feet. 








*In the second Report of Progress, 1891, p. 61, these beds have been assigned 
to the Miocene, and the same age is also ascribed to them in the Third Annual 
Report, 1891, pp. 63 and 117. 


20 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


On. the C. O. Edwards headright, and about a mile northeast of the 
springs, another section shows: 


ASO TAy SAD Po. er He MALO ae eilty bk cast he ern ale te See tn tei ori eee ons 1 foot. 
2, “1Thinly laminated yellow and ‘brown sands). sole eee tee 2. a tee 5 feet. 
a, 92 ine-grained laminated white Glay ites nice. siecle cisiate’: alate isket ee gare 4 feet. 


The surface of the country in this region is covered with grayish white 
or light gray sands, containing bowlders of coarse-grained flaky siliceous 
sinter and great quantities of opalized wood of different colors. While 
the greater portion of the pieces of opalized wood are small, many of 
them measure from four to eight feet in length and from one to three feet 
in diameter. ‘These large trunks are very easily broken, and break. with 
a glassy fracture, although longitudinal sections of from two to four feet 
are easily obtained. 

Two miles west of the springs, deposits of a very fine-grained siliceous 
sinter occur upon the southwest corner of the James Tuttle league and 
on the W. P. Zuber headright. A section on the Tuttle league shows: 


Lp CORERG IE VAV ELT Ts oc eicgie ares vie Suatele nie. Gitar an CCR Bie fait iy meee Scattering. 
260 Dark eray Sandy sori. seieey cs cieie tee et re al nett ie tes eee 116 feet. 
S. OLLIVEOUS SINCCT OD hoes A UEAAN Peete bac hp dois aac ere ms ee eerie ean es Beers 4 to 5 feet. 


This deposit of sinter underlies an area of from twenty-five to thirty 
acres. 

On the west side of the same league, and about a mile farther west of 
this deposit, the bank of a small creek running into Dry branch shows a 
section of: 


1. Gray surface sand with small quantities of pebbles ......:.......... 4 feet. 
2. moLtdtine-prain ed teams ai. eek MOLI ee Srey ethos, a Ne meen er ee 10 feet. 
34 Broken laminated, blnish!orayiClay: tierce toh woes ve eee stan a ena 3 feet. 
Ae VAAN ITOS Che 5 Demet ot Fao ne Marae ne a a reece are ae Re 3 feet. 


Southwest of the siliceous sinter deposits of the Tuttle league there is 
another deposit of the same class of material on the W. P. Zuber head- 
right. The sinter in this area occurs in all the creeks and washouts along 
the east side of the headright, and is overlaid by a light gray sand and 
gravel made up of pebbles of quartz and jasper, and underlaid by a gray 
sand, as seen in the following section: , 


1. Light gray sand and gravel, the gravel scattering............... 2 to 5 feet. 
AEOLNCEOUS SINGER, 2h it Jug a eseeeiae Roe Minne ee tp ok a ee 4 to 5 feet. 
owmaray sand. Visible s.r 20 Pa Re os 2 to 6 feet. 


Two miles east of Piedmont Springs a cutting on the east side of Sandy 
creek shows a section of: 


L.oGray sand ‘with white opalized wood b))).. 7200 le eee 3 to 5 feet. 
2, uinivlaminated gray. sand y;clay ii avis an cue eneenn er ae 2 to 6 feet. 


Going northward to Kellum Springs deposits of siliceous sinter occur 


GRIMES COUNTY. : AI 


on the Wm. Fitzgibbon league, and one mile west of the spring the fol- 
lowing section occurs in Chalk branch, a small stream tributary to Gib- 
bon’s creek: 


REST AMCHATIOL ERS te Gli e Oe decd clue Aree tale pictecitees RG ene REPRE LAs emt afaik 1 foot. 
ESP RAST ULAR TCG: Atl Ch CLA Vo cu cefa wos hea aad a Ghee ae teed aoe Maced toa a 5 to 12 feet. 
Sates SECO USER LT LET Aah Wry ie oo phy Gh NL Lust atc Me yas Melek aU ag 2 feet. 
PNY PLY SCR ATTAN CTU ced © Star Jah ele valyg terns a) oleae i at sen ers gem AEE Sa Snatcher oy 1 foot. 
PMOL MnO TIER EATO Te Clay Gas Lenn ats eee te CaeR Rh a dat sae as alas aly 


In this region the sinter lies in thin strata or seams between deposits of 
a coarse white sand, which rests upon a laminated brown sand. The sec- 
tion shown for nearly a mile southward along the creek is a succession of 
lignitic sands and clays, alternately dipping southeast and northwest. 
These lignitic deposits overlie the siliceous deposits. ; 

This siliceous sinter, which is locally known as chalk, is reported as 
occurring in small quantities at other places in this region and in the area 
between Piedmont and Kellum Springs. 

Five miles northeast of Kellum Springs, on a Mr. 8. Smith’s land, near 
Union Hill church, there is an isolated deposit of siliceous sinter cover- 
ing an area of nearly ten acres and having a thickness of over twenty 
feet. The greater portion of this deposit is covered by a dark gray sandy 
soil, and gray sands form the prevailing characteristic of the surface of 
the whole of the surrounding country. 

Nowhere throughout the area occupied by these beds can the thickness 
of the deposits belonging to the Piedmont Springs group exceed thirty 
feet. On the northeastern border the gray sands and sinters either rest 
upon or are interstratified with the lignitic deposits; and toward the 
southwest, in the neighborhood of Piedmont, where they attain their 
greatest thickness, wells dug to a depth of thirty feet pass completely 
through these beds and enter blue clays containing thin seams of an 
earthy brown coal. 

The siliceous sinter found in these deposits is a very fine-grained, soft, 
pulverulent, snow-white mass, amorphous in places and showing lines of 
stratification in others. It has a specific gravity of 2. Under the micro- 
scope the grains are small, rounded, and angular, generally flattened and 
scaly, and all translucent, some of them being perfectly transparent. 
Many of the scales are striated and marked in such a manner as to re- 
semble thin sections of the opalized wood. 

Throughout the region another grade of sinter is also found. This 
material usually occurs in the form of concretions, many of which are of 
large size. In texture it is coarse-grained, and has an appearance very 
much resembling some blast furnace slags. 

The origin of these sinters is not yet known. The amorphous condi- 
tion of the silica and the small proportions of lime and alkalies found in 
them, as well as the excessive proportions of the alkalies, potash 2.70 


my GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


per cent and soda 4.93 per cent, and the considerable proportion of lime, 
2.34 per cent, found in the associated clays,* and the presence of sulphur- 
eted hydrogen in the springs now flowing throughout the area in which 
these sinters occur, appear to indicate the origin to be from springs of 
moderately warm alkaline waters in active operation at the close of the 
Eocene or early in the stage of the deposition of the Navasota beds, but 
which are now extinct. 

These springs probably continued in operation during the earlier por- 
tion of the Navasota times, and the stratified and assorted condition of 
the deposits themselves may be the result of leaching and rearranging by 
water during the period of the deposition of the clays of the upper Nava- 
sota beds. ‘The causes of these deposits are long since destroyed. In 
none of the places yet visited do any springs carrying large percentages 
of silica now exist. The springs in the Grimes county area are all 
strongly sulphurous and have a considerable flow. These springs, of 
which the most important are Kellum, Piedmont, and Shanghai, are 
slightly thermal, and those at Piedmont and Kellum are depositing thin 
hair-like masses of pale yellow sulphur. All of them give off consider- 
able quantities of sulphureted hydrogen. 

In connection with the sinter deposits, a fracture of the strata, or fissure 
from ten inches to a foot in width, extends across the region in a slightly 
north of east direction. ‘The actual depth of this fissure, or how far it 
affects the underlying deposits, can not be ascertained, as through the 
whole of its length, a distance of several miles, it is nearly filled with 
soil and leaves of recent origin. This fissure was traced over a distance 
of three miles, when it become obliterated; but Mr. G. A. Allen, a reli- 
able observer, states that about twenty years ago it could be traced for 
over ten miles, and at many places it showed a depth of over seven and 
even eight feet. The fissure does not appear to be affected by the ma- 
terial through which it passes, as at one part of its course it crosses a 
small bed of sandstone, in which the fracture appears as clearly as in the 
sands and clays found at other places along its course. From this fact it 
would appear that the fracture took place after the deposition and con- 
solidation of the sandstones, and that the disturbing cause belonged to a 
post Eocene time. 

Whether this fracture had any appreciable effect upon the dip of the 
deposits could not be ascertained. No exposures in which any reliable 
measurements can be obtained occur in the vicinity of the fissure, nor in 
the area occupied by the sinters, and as they lie along or close to the di- 
vision between the underlying Eocene and overlying newer deposits, 
between which the dips vary greatly, measurements made at wide dis- 
tances apart would afford no clue to the matter. 





* See analyses of clay on page 31. 


GRIMES COUNTY. 


b> 
wo 


ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 


SOILS. 


The soils of Grimes county, with the exception of the soils of the bot- 
tom lands, may be characterized as nearly all fit for cultivation, although 
generally poor. Some portions of the prairies, though usually covered 
with a thin or scanty vegetation, do not have a sufficient depth of soil 
for farming purposes, and at other places the gray sandstone formations 
have no soil at all. The areas, however, in which the rock is exposed 
are of only a limited extent. Those in which the soil is thin are greater, 
but still form a very small portion of the county and are generally occu- 
pied as pasture land. ‘The soils belong chiefly to the two grades—allu- 
vial, or sedimentary, and residual, or sedentary. The alluvial, or sedi- 
mentary, are those which have been deposited in and from flowing water, 
and include all bottom and second bottom valley soils. The residual 
soils are those which result from the quiet action of the changes of 
temperature, etc., and are due to the disintegration of the underlying 
deposits, and consequently have not been removed from their original 
site, and partake largely of the nature and constitution of the underlying 
beds. 





ALLUVIAL SOIL. 


These soils occur only in the valleys of the Brazos and Navasota rivers, 
and form a belt of low, flat country, from one to three miles in width, 
extending through the entire length of that portion of the country ad- 
jacent to these rivers. Some of the larger streams, such as Beason’s, Hol- 
land, and Gibbon’s creeks, have wide deltas or bottoms at their mouths, 
often extending for several miles interiorly along their course. ‘These 
soils cover nearly one-fifth of the county. 

Much of this area is subject to periodic overflows from the two rivers, 
and a very small part of it is under cultivation. The greater portion is 
covered with a heavy growth of timber. 

These alluvial soils are mostly a stiff clay, laminated in places, and 
portions of them have a considerable admixture of sand. ‘They are dark 
brown in color, and from two to six feet or more in depth. Where in 
cultivation they are the most productive soils in the county. The chief 
productions are cotton and corn. 

Analyses show them to be rich in lime, phosphoric acid, and organic 
matter, and although the proportions of potash are slightly below the 
normal, may be considered as of more than average fertility. 

Analysis of soil and subsoil of Brazos river bottom, Grimes county :* 





* Analysis by P. 5S. Tilson. 


94 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Soil. Subsoil. 








sae Cnt RD OLUL LDL Se. sea calic We urea ithe Binteie whe auntrclaiieth leslie te dame Musueect re telaiste te SEs .38 .36 
Bree TT mole DIG Cede ACR OT Ae Gan eet ON OLE 86.02 81.70 
PEDO ODEN): RNGRBUP mS Mey aatiMh aah eT LAA PAR gil as BE TAL a toe cabal 4 69 1.74 
TP O10 ie SRO alin Qa cee aitin te euaeele AGE aereatts CRU alah alana tered hia tiara fits 1.64 1.92 
PHOSDDOTIG 40C1U Hany ated wae eons eae me ay Nopee stmt h aie cae een g .18 ald 
PSTN Bre SE an To das Sia Wie ue aay. oe elt Gel nl GUNG COME te eer aoe an ee 4.14 4.89 
MME ONOSIO Sais isos ko we poe his iplerche ehh le ale iaia Gls terg al oleataanne Piaieinh cit are ontate trace .29 
Potash soluble intwateb.. corto oie ce ee ann eA oe me cet eee 11 14 
Soda,, § Soluble in water ci yak UR wllea blanet Nats DINUSS BINA? Aig eels Venere cee eran 02 28 

(Insolublerin water. 20au (a Gece aieenehine ae ein armen 21 22 

PULP NUTS Ch yi ass ‘as cic mts rapa cleke stare cae Silo kciec tale toc Pa Taner ee aI ne 1.44 84 
CTO UG ace S Ce asea ah ohare She a Toren Ree ean eee ieee ace a Sete A tae ae .08 
CAarDODIC AGG fn vals tha cae ela le re mice tonic are oes ee een eee 1.60 3.30 
OPOANIC MABEGOR UI) Ose Tks Weer ne ae ake mua Rte tenes Otc Niet foc oem en ae. 4.74 
99.45 100.19 


The cultivation of these soils has a tendency to increase their fertility, 
by the breaking up of the stiff clay which forms their principal constit- 
uent, and the mixing of the clay with the brown sand associated with it 
in such a manner as to form a clayey loam. 


RESIDUAL SOILS. 


This class of soils occupy the whole of the uplands and nearly one-fifth 
of the entire county. In texture and characteristics they change in con- 
formity with the change of the underlying beds, from which fact they 
may be graded into four different classes: 1. The grayish brown and 
light colored calcareous soils, found resting upon the great stretch of limy 
beds belonging to the Navasota group. 2. The gray upland sandy soil, 
overlaying the lignitic formations of the northern part of the county. 
3. The black calcareous soils, belonging to the prairie regions. 4. The 
light gray sandy soil, belonging to the Piedmont series. 

1. THe GrayisH Brown anp Dark CoLorep CaLcargous Soits.— 
These soils are found resting everywhere upon the Navasota beds in the 
central and southern portions of the county. They lie in narrow belts 
and in broad stretches, between and around the black calcareous prairies. 
They are generally fine sand, of a dark grayish brown color, intermixed 
in many places with a dark brownish colored clay, varying in depth from 
a few inches to two or three feet, and underlaid by yellow and brown 
clay and sandy clay and sand, and, where shallow, by heavy beds of gray 
sandstone from one to twenty feet in thickness. These soils are easily 
cultivated at any season, and are generally early, warm, and well drained, 
and -when new produce well, but in a few years rapidly deteriorate. 
Only a small portion are under cultivation. They are usually associated 
with the black prairies and used for grazing purposes. 

2, Gray Uptanp Sanpy Soirs.—These soils occupy the whole of the 


GRIMES COUNTY. 25 


northern portion of the county, and overlie the dark gray sands and clays 
of the Eocene lignitic, from which they are derived. They vary in thick- 
ness from one to one and a half feet, and are composed of a fine-grained 
sandy loam, with a considerable excess of sand of a dark grayish color 
and easily leaching to a pale yellowish gray. ‘The subsoil is usually a 
brown or dark brown sandy clay, with occasional deposits of lignitic clay, 
and in places small scattering patches of gravel. The soil itself is fre- 
quently intermixed with gravel and small pebbles, particularly in the 
western part of the area. 

These soils are warm and early, easily cultivated at any season of the 
year. They rapidly deteriorate under prolonged cultivation, and in five 
years are said to lose about one-half of their productive power. Cotton 
raised on these soils, after several yeais continuous cultivation, is said to 
lose considerable of its value by the shortening of its staple. 

An analysis of these soils by Dr. W. H. Melville shows them to have 
the following composition: 


Soil. Subsoil. 
iO HA LOM etl yCTOOMLOTEG Cl ture protest alee ticle Sat. hs arses cuneate 93.70 “LTD 
SAAT CUTEST RCTS Se SFL ae pea oe! Phan NICHD ar ee tie LR ae iT ST 2.14 12.11 
EEE OTIC OLN re Bvt a. Sc) gis b,c atet we onfiae eiste Pandas ane Aly: ameaoae, seatteys O11 008 
ETRE eRe es re eRe chee a tea K cade wih ata ator Aldin ed diabwrs eas wea tsus .18 .49 
EET ENTCGALCIEL orice AAS Vaikiee erin ete ols OTGIe ard eats clams ylota nicht Guat ow as ba 09 
Sr Rae eer ra ie tree ard ot icon Nice aa TENN gles a) Pee Wi Walla: sate, sticiee Manat cae eV a abe .008 .062 
CEE MEMD RN Tory an te soem Ss PMR ERY ORCS | teats DRAM LS lata ele toed sal euathte did (es tet 144 24 
EROS OM Cay Mac a Pies MAE Mean ot bdl he allie die ajaiidda, Grace ath alee a yeas .08 46 
COTO REC CUciemcr mtv a MNCs y's sisi wig sha eared wit sod a lat wena asia aha oh obe Ball a ty 49 1.90 
Eee RIV ORO Ms eehtite Gerelee Peale «uals eae Moun ae AE AY oie See's aie eine Clee 09 06 
BAPELE VAD E (iets eee em ee ee Rates sie Fal ab ene at taht aie atetd aale eee wee a aha .90 6.46 
POEMS RULED Cost LUb arr sre UNIS) goetem adereta Ted. Sy s\e lain scat Neher 4) 2)Aale stele vais oh evelare trace trace 
SCULLY ne care taay Seapine tie Ae bt). Lares ad weit Sl Mor Mn ay 75 06 
WS PEE eae OB iy a en Gre OBER HIE SSR IRI AUPE PPR PEAT SORERWINE Ply iegeag g OEP 1.28 5.46 








99.903 99.65 
ATG LU VE AOTRWAUCI testes ond Pk areas oe chek seh hain tee cla sate eralniats 36.4 65.9 


A mechanical analysis of the same soil and subsoil shows the physical 
condition to be: 


—_So0il-—_~+ 7~—Subsoil—, 

Fixed. Volatile. Fixed. Volatile. 
ROR MPCMETS LTRS e cte oy ace cecli ne cece eae ieee ace a ea eee 3.66 96 20.16 2.92 
TRS GISAIVED coe ass ere) Oe OSH ke aw Ue Bie We eee a 20.25 64 13:95 .90 
1h PEG See POCA py RA Le PP RV MiG? 01 81 53.86 1.91 
CELE AS CELA 6 ER Mier MRC api ean ia SUM, PACERS gE 10.72 .22 6.16 14 
PYRITE ANE BLLCICS oc we wie eld.d SM ae vibkelucouis ale at Capertee 55 4 be eee ee 





26 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


These soils frequently form extensive prairie regions, such as Jones 
prairie, near Iola, and others. ‘The quality and texture of the prairie 
soils differ but slightly from those of the timbered land. Throughout the 
prairie regions the soil, although classified as sandy, contains a greater 
proportion of clay, and the subsoil is of a more impermeable nature. 

3. Brack Carcargous Soits.—These soils belong altogether to the 
prairies of the higher lands in the central and southern portions of the 
county, and are found overlying the gray calcareous sands and sand- 
stones of the Navasota beds. ‘They are best developed on the Wallace 
and Grimes prairies, where they occur from two to four feet in depth. 
They also occur on Roan and Fuqua prairies. The soil is of a black, 
tenaceous, adhesive loam, varying in thickness from a few inches to four 
feet. ‘* These prairie soils, unless baked too hard, are easily tilled in dry, 
but are difficult to till in wet weather. They are early and warm and 
are well drained.’’* The subsoil is mostly a stiff limy yellow clay in 
Grimes and Wallace prairies, and a yellow sandy clay in Roan and 
Fuqua prairies, varying in thickness from two to eight feet or more, and 
resting directly upon a fine-grained, more or less calcareous, sandstone. 
This sandstone appears on the surface at many places in all of the prairies, 
and over extensive areas of Fuqua prairie the soil has been denuded, 
showing the yellow subsoil. ‘The characteristic structure of these prairies 
may be summed up shortly. 

Wallace Prairie.—Lies in the southwestern portion of Grimes county, 
and covers an area of nearly forty-five square miles, comprising the 
greater portion of the Caleb Wallace, John Whitesides, Samuel Fuller, 
Tandy Walker, James Wallace, and Jared E. Groce leagues. ‘The sur- 
face is slightly rolling and covered with a dark calcareous soil, from one 
and a half to two feet thick, overlying a yellowish clayey calcareous sub- 
soil, ranging from two to eight feet in thickness, and both resting upon 
a fine-grained calcareous sandstone, which appears on the surface in many 
places. Exposures of this character may be seen at White Hall and along 
the northern end of the prairie. On the Tandy Walker league the sand- 
stone forms a ridge from fifty to seventy-five feet above the level of 
Grassy creek. 

Grimes Prairie.—Comprises a small area of about sixteen square miles, 
lying northeast of and separated from Wallace prairie by a sandy ridge 
which is traversed by the line of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Rail- 
way. This prairie includes the whole of the Margaret McIntyre and the 
greater portion of the Jesse Grimes and Franklin Greenwood leagues. In 
general features it resembles Wallace prairie. The gray calcareous sand- 
stone appears upon the surface in many localities, and the soil is black, 





* Loughridge, Cotton Production, 10th Census, Vol. V, pp. 745-746. 


GRIMES COUNTY. We 


calcareous, and about two feet deep. Water is usually obtained any- 
where on the prairie at a depth of twenty to twenty-five feet. 

Navasota Prairie.—Embraces the region lying contiguous to the town 
of Navasota, and covers an area approximating fifteen square miles. The 
greater portion is covered by a dark brown, changing to black, calcareous 
soil, from one to three feet in depth. Other portions are covered by a 
dark gray calcareous sandy soil, closely resembling the underlying gray 
sands and sandstones. This class of soils is generally thin, and in places 
the gray underlying beds appear through the soils and form the surface 
of considerable areas. 

Fuqua Prairie.—Six miles north of Navasota, between Holland creek 
on the south and Rock creek on the north, Fuqua prairie occupies an area 
of nearly nine square miles, comprising portions of the Ephraim Fuqua, 
William Holland, and Hannah Cornaugh leagues, and a small portion of 
the northeastern part of the Robert Ray headright. This prairie is proh- 
ably the most unproductive of all the prairies in Grimes county. In 
general structure it resembles both Wallace and Grimes, and closely ap- 
proaches Roan prairie. The gray sandstone appears forming the surface 
over a considerable portion. ‘The soil is black and calcareous, but has 
been removed over a considerable area, exposing extensive tracts of 
the grayish yellow siliceous subsoil. 

This prairie lies at a much higher elevation than any of the others, 
and, due to its surroundings, is much more exposed to the eroding in- 
fluences of rain and other atmospheric agencies. 

Roan Prairie.—This is a narrow strip of prairie land, lying in a gen- 
eral northeast and southwest direction from the southeast corner of the 
Joshua Hedley league, through the Anthony D. Kennard, John Harris, 
and William McCaffin leagues, and ending on the south side of the Cyrus 
Campbell league. In length, the prairie does not exceed six miles, and 
its greatest width is nowhere over a mile and a half. The total area is 
not more than ten square miles. The surface is covered with a black cal- 
careous soil underlaid by a yellowish gray sandy limestone. In places 
the gray sandstone and limy concretions occur in the roads, and about a 
mile south of the Roan Prairie postoffice occasional pieces of plant re- 
mains, mostly leaves of a small palm or palmetto, were found in them. 

Wells dug throughout the prairie supply water strongly impregnated 
with lime. 

These prairies— Wallace, Grimes, Navasota, Fuqua, and Roan—all be- 
long to the same age, and in structure closely approach each other. The 
succession of black soil, yellow subsoil, and gray sandstones is alike in 
each, and the general conditions surrounding them are such that the 
whole may be ascribed to one origin. There is no natural tree growth, 





28 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


but trees grow very well where planted, and bois d’arc hedges are quite 
common. 

Anderson Prairie.—In the northwestern portion of the county a large 
area, comprising the greater portions of the Nancy Anderson, J. W. Stod- 
dard, Beverly Tucker, J. W. Scott, and 8. R. Marshal headrights, is known 
as the Anderson prairie. While the greater part of this might be classi- 
fied as prairie land, the growth of small post oak and black jack trees 
have so encroached upon the rest of the area as to destroy its every claim 
to be so considered. In point of fact, small knots and clumps of trees 
are springing up everywhere so fast that it will require only a few years 
to cover the whole. Anderson prairie comprises an area of more than 
twenty square miles. 

The prairies are not much in cultivation. They are used mostly as. 
hay and pasture lands. 

4. Gray SANDS oF THE PrepmMont Sprincs ArEA.—These sands form a 
poor soil, supporting a scanty vegetation, and are not much under culti- 
vation. 

Along the eastern border of the county, through the pine regions, there 
occurs a variety of soils partaking of the nature of the first three classes 
before enumerated, but under such conditions that it would be difficult 
to differentiate them. They are generally known as the piney woods 
lands, and are made up of a mixture of gray and brown sands and blue 
and grayish blue calcareous clays. Small patches of stiff tenacious black 
calcareous clay occur scattered through the area, but most of it is covered 
by a dark brown sandy loam, of a more or less calcareous nature. 

These piney lands are generally considered the best upland soils in the 
county. 


BUILDING STONES. 


The building stones of Grimes county are wholly of gray sandstones, 
and belong chiefly to beds of the Fayette division of the Eocene and the 
lower division of the Navasota beds of the post Eocene age. Possibly a 
few of the thin shaly sandstones found intermixed with the blue limy clay 
and calcareous sands of the later Navasota beds may be found suitable for 
building purposes, but their coarse texture and general want of coherence 
will militate against any extensive use of them. 

Apart from their difference in age, the building stones differ consider- 
ably from each other in their general texture and adaptability, and may 
be grouped into three classes: Ist. The hard, semi-quartizitic and close- 
grained sandstones of the Eocene. 2d. The soft, thinly bedded, calca- 
reous sandstones belonging to the lower Navasota beds. 3d. The granular, 
coarse, semi-consolidated sand or soft sandstones, interstratified with the 


GRIMES COUNTY. 29 


coarse-grained gray calcareous sands and calcareous clays of the upper 
beds of the same group. 

1. Harp, Semi-Quartzitic AND CLose-GRAINED SANDSTONES. — These 
occur only in the north central portion of the county, where they 
appear as a narrow belt, extending from the L. J. F. Mammel head- 
right northeasterly to the northwest corner of the Biggam White head- 
right, and from this latter place thin beds extend north and easterly to 
within a few miles south of Bedias postoftice, on the D. S. Stone headright. 
They are best developed on the Biggam White headright, where they 
are represented by a ledge from fifteen to twenty feet high. The rocks 
forming this ledge are stratified and lie in strata from six to eighteen 
inches in thickness, and change from a soft gray colored to a hard gray 
and brownish gray colored sandstone, with occasional blocks showing the 
characteristic texture of quartzite. Some of the beds are very much 
broken and tilted in places, and lie mostly in the shape of large bowlders 
or blocks, many of them measuring from eight to ten feet in length and 
nearly as many feet in width. On the Mammel headright the same class 
of rocks occur along the northern edge of the Gibbons creek bottom lands. 
Here they lie in a very similar condition to that on the Biggam White 
land, although the blocks are more irregularly formed and much smaller 
and are of less value as a building material. 

Intermediate between these exposures the rocks belonging to this group 
are white and grayish white, evenly bedded, close-grained sandstones. 
This class occurs in quantities along the upper division of Rock creek on 
the John Bowman headright. Another deposit is found in the Francis 
Holland headright, about a mile south of Anderson, on the Anderson and 
Navasota public road. These rocks lie close to and appear on the surface 
in many places. They have been quarried both on Rock creek and in the 
neighborhood of Anderson, and from the smoothness of their grain and 
closeness of texture admit of being dressed in a fairly good condition, 
although somewhat limited as to size. The stone finishings of the new 
court house at Anderson are from the quarry south of that place. 

2. Tue Sorr Tuinty Beppep Carcargous Sanpstones. — These 
sandstones include the beds found in the deposits belonging to the 
lower division of the Navasota group, and are usually thinly bedded, 
rarely exceeding six inches in thickness, show a rough surface, and in 
quarrying break into irregular masses or slabs. Their texture is soft and 
coarse-grained, in places strongly calcareous, and often inclose small 
nodules or fragments of white clay. In color they vary from a soft gray 
to a white or creamy yellow. They are irregularly distributed in the 
beds, changing frequently from the consolidated sandstone to an uncon- 
solidated mass of grayish yellow sand, and in this condition form a con- 


tinuously alternating series of lenticular masses of sandstone and sand. 
+5--Geol, 


30 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


The sections exposed in the several quarries are made up of alternate 
strata of sand and sandstone. 

Exposures of these rocks occur at numerous places throughout the 
southern central portion of the county and in the neighborhood of Nava- 
sota. The exposures seen near this place form a ridge extending from 
near the Navasota river in a northerly direction, skirting the river bot- 
tom to Holland creek, a distance of about four miles. This same ridge 
then passes up the south side of Holland creek to the crossing of the 
Navasota and Anderson public road, where the sandstones are exposed 
over an area of several hundred acres. These rocks also appear on 
Grimes prairie and near White Hall postoffice and several other points 
along the northern side of the prairie. 

Sandstones in the neighborhood of Navasota belonging to this group 
have been quarried for building purposes for a great number of years. 
They are used in Navasota as building material almost exclusively. They 
are also said to have been used for the manufacture of lime many years 
ago. 

3. Ufper Navasota Sanpstones. — The soft gray semi-consolidated 
sandstones of the upper division of the Navasota beds are almost alto- 
gether unsuited for building purposes. Fairly good rock may be found 
occasionally throughout the beds, but the quantities are so small that 
these sandstones can not be considered as of any economic value. 


CLAY. 


In several portions of Grimes county deposits of clay exist in greater 
or less quantities, and in qualities ranging from the ordinary brick earths 
to a grade suitable for the manufacture of the ordinary or even finer 
erades of earthenware. Some of the limy clays might also, with careful 
selection and cleaning, be utilized for the manufacture of a fair grade of 
cement. 

Brick clays or earth occur at different portions of the county, but no 
steady brick making industry is carried on. Near Navasota a yellowish 
brown earth has been used for brick making purposes at intermittent 
times for years, and the bricks used in Navasota for building and paving 
purposes were made in this yard. ‘These bricks are very hard, and of a 
brown color, more or less spotted with blue iron stains. <A good grade 
of yellowish gray earth for brickmaking occurs in great quantities in the 
neighborhood of Anderson. By care in selecting the materials, two 
grades of bricks can be obtained in this neighborhood, distinguishable 
chiefly by their color, as both, when properly made, are hard and of good 
texture. In color they range from a creamy white to a yellow in the 
first grade, and a bright red in the second grade. The new court house 
at Anderson is built of these bricks, and presents a very pleasing effect, 


GRIMES COUNTY. ol 


An extensive deposit of a good clay occurs in the neighborhood of 
Piedmont Springs. In structure it is thinly stratified and breaks with a 
sub-conchoidal fracture. Thin streaks or stains of iron occur at places 
throughout the partings, but in general the clay is milky white. An 
analysis in the laboratory of the Survey shows: 





SRL CRO ae ao cer Seen ca ere a oe kites Ja ee oe teen eae eae 58 .50 

PCA EVEL TD Atel Me hee otek aia, Sudha ee. T aia a's aR ea ote Ie eS EE ere ee 18.39— 76.89 

POR URC? OLE KOLO de cacceetcuns Se The ae Dc ets as SMe Gee es Cs 3.21 

LOD IS OR A SERRA aE ech Nea aie apn ye AE IER yer es Oe Ce EO 2.34 

SEES GES BSS opt RR ics, Rei Sn Ny eee ae Ra al, Cen, On deat Aina 1.61 

WTO ACT a Bg eh MCA GU Pu ah bs act, Dai a Ss A A ES Ur lc 2.70 

SUL Ff k eel RIG arom Mie Oo UN ee gen AP PN ie Mies ie art eer 4.93 

RUST LIENTLE Fira HG TAL a os Me sy ah et eo 2 ete eC Oe ie dein oars trace— 14.79 

WESGON, ci POSE Gece a. iiais aces aleisos, s Me Maite edad EO Ee ee eb cree Be 8.70— 8.70 
100.38 


Specific gravity, 1.5. 


The high percentage of the alkalies, iron, lime, and magnesia contained 
in this clay places it in the anomalous position of midway between the 
grade of a good pottery clay and a ‘‘slip’’ clay. It might probably, 
with care, be utilized for certain grades of earthenware. In composition 
the Piedmont clay closely resembles the ‘‘Albany’’ slip so much used 
among the pottery manufacturers for glazing purposes, and by careful 
preparation, with the addition of a small quantity of lime, might be 
utilized for glazing in the same manner as the kaolite slip clay of Ohio. 
The analysis of this kaolite is:* 





DeLee REE I. ae ee an ane ota Geen eno tals ine Welrage libs Sead 62.40 

PSU ELEM a CS te ee Mere eee tid abe Tee oe sc ata ae RIT Gone" Soo eto 10.42— 72.82 

PE CLC S (US Cte edete tt ns Satta ena ree oe ee tien ve Stat ate vier 5.36 

PURINE ee he ee ere aie Se nO ie ot Sent eats ee a ea Acts gee aie Fa 9.88 

INE AE TORT ie Nee PEERS Site ater ia ets eae Ged ahs cepa ee imal sf ebtes 4.28 

SUSUR: aT Sie We Tannen un id Sa ae any A Sake AE a arene or Pa ey 

Sy UU NINE Vel a Peer el. erie el nec ee es eam tet 3 Aaine « ot aera a ap A .65 

EOS ORICCRGLG oot tee cs eee as wine oe eo eye a eee Cetigle Toe Oe 19— 21.28 

MGIC LOL ete Sete me es, Mate re oclar awe Peat a: Sita 8.05— &.05 
100.00 


Tests are now being made in the laboratory of the Survey with the 
view of determining the practical value of Piedmont clay. The results 
of these tests will be published in the report on the clays of the State now 
in course of preparation. 

Throughout the northern portion of the county deposits of clays suit- 
able for the manufacture of coarse earthenware occur in many places. 
Some of these deposits may prove useful, but most of them are of no 
practical value, because of their location and small extent. 





* Geological Suryey of Ohio; Economic Geology, vol. V, p. 671. 


32 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Throughout the beds belonging to the upper division of the Navasota 
beds there are considerable deposits of a dense calcareous clay, many of 
which contain large quantities of carbonate of lime in such intimate con- 
nection that possibly, with careful preparation, they may be utilized for 
the manufacture of a fair grade of cement. Extensive deposits of this 
gerade of clay occur in the neighborhood of Courtney. 

An analysis of this clay shows: 





DTTCA! FS a ile tievolae pacuk ae AUG che Sa apes Yao sa See MMe Sop eon Ore aia hee ice 40.69 
ALUMINA. oR AS We as sby Ei cn miele ad hatte kh s okt EER Nie 6 eon ani avec ann 12.68 
Ferric 0x16 vod. shia & sabe ose date seas Ai oa e.e CRATER hn alg meeeea aoe ee eet 3.90 
Vil IN.6 5) 5 co scsoy eratnlaca cae pinata le see thee eee a epee ate se ay ene ed FO aca al et Oe amare nee 18.12 
Carbonic acid: fas and waters7<2e A ec ce ees 8 ark ee eee ee Dae cee eae 18.91 
Alkalies by difference: 2 fines pees sees are eee he Uo at eee nen ena 1.14 
MA ONGSIA aes Sau Div coe sc ots minkeh ab ora ete meee a lee ea i Neca Oe nee ee ee 92 
Manganese 20). Ss cae tapes ee a ae oa ee te hee eee trace 
Wateriat 100: degreesiC 7... .... *Vetwiye. sly. dotaieas Sitios ale ae tase, Een ee eNotes 3.64 

100.00 


ABRASIVE MATERIALS. 


The siliceous sinter on the southwest portion of the J. W. Tuttle league 
and W. P. Zuber headright may, with but slight preparation, be used as 
an abrasive or polishing material. It has a very fine-grained texture, 
and appears to be free from coarse sand or grit of any kind, or other 
deleterious ingredients. It contains about 95 per cent of silica, and is of 
a pure white color. Considerable quantities have already been mined 
and sold in Houston. 

The extensive deposit found on the farm of Mr. S. Smith, near Union 
Hill church, and the deposits occurring near Kellum Springs, may also be 
used for the same purposes. | 


LIGNITE AND BROWN COAL. 


No lignites of any commercial value were observed\within the area of 
the county. Thin seams of a brown peaty lignite occur in the neighbor- 
hood of Kellum Springs, and stretch across the county in a northeasterly 
direction as far as Bedias postoffice, near the northeastern corner of the 
county. A seven foot deposit of lignite also occurs in Tanyard creek, 
on the Boatright headright, near Piedmont Springs. This is of the brown 
grade through the upper three feet, mixed with a brown clay, while the 
lower four feet of black lignite is too much mixed with a black sand to 
be of any economic value. 

In the records of a boring at Lamb Springs, fifteen miles north of Nava- 
sota, brown coal has been reported at various depths and of different 
thicknesses. Roughly the section of this well shows; 


GRIMES COUNTY. 83 


Dae lirnites fret sonn, abil teth.. tr ss fees atk ih ante cette nee 2 feet. 
PeelenIte: SOCONO BEAN SAG C4eLCOL Lr. cc'cs te lee ee ce ee cae rae 216 feet. 
oe Leni bey CHILO, BeaTO MAG OS TGCU. atu iie eck nee eee 2 feet. 
¢, cinoni te, qourthisegil aia mOeth yal catee oot hia ine oun caobe ioe teer. 
Dip bignitemien pent dtda teotaatal.9 acts fie en ete eek eal) 10 . feet. 


Several deposits of brown coal are reported as occurring deeper in the 
boring, but all accompanied by a heavy flow of water. 

A small deposit of brown coal also occurs in the bank of the Navasota 
near Sulphur Springs. 

Every one of these deposits are situated in a region of poor road facil- 
ities, and too far from any railway communication, which reason renders 
these lignites and brown coals of little economic value at present. 


TIMBER. 


The total area of Grimes county is 781 square miles, of which nearly 
two-thirds, or approximately five hundred square miles, are covered with 
timber. 

Extending along the eastern border of the county, from a little west of 
Plantersville station, northward to within four miles east of Anderson, 
and thence in a slightly west of north direction to the vicinity of Kellum 
Springs, where it turns sharply to the northeast and passes out of the 
county, is the western limit of the great Kast Texas pine belt. This pine 
belongs to the short leaf loblolly class. No long leaf pine occurs in the 
county. The trees are generally small, and toward the outer edge of the 
belt scattering. 

On the flat gladey land of the central and upper portions of the county 
the timber growth is almost exclusively post oak, and black jack oak, with 
some hickory. Elm, ash, pin oak, and cedar, with some pecan and smaller 
growth, occupy large areas of the bottom and second bottom lands, and 
a few cottonwood trees are to be found in the bottoms. Trees of this 
class are, however, of a very limited number. 

The milling interest is small, there being, according to the last assess- 
ment roll, only one saw mill within the county. A fair average estimate 
of the quantity of timber would give of pine from five to eight thousand 
feet of lumber per acre, and from fifteen to twenty cords of wood per acre 
for all other kinds of timber. 


WATER SUPPLY. 


The drainage of the country is divided into three areas—the northeast- 
ern or Trinity river drainage; the southeastern, belonging to the San 
Jacinto area; and the western or Navasota river drainage, the last being 
a tributary of the larger Brazos river basin. A slightly elevated ridge 


34 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


of rolling timbered land, interspersed with prairies, forms the divide be- 
tween these drainage systems. Few springs occur; and the creeks, with 
the exception of the larger ones, being dependent upon the rainfall, are dry 
during a considerable portion of the summer months. The larger creeks, 
such as the Bedias, Gibbons, Lake, Garrett, Cedar, Beasons, Grassy, and 
Holland, except in very dry seasons, usually contain small quantities 
of water through the whole of the year; but. storage tanks are very gen- 
erally resorted to for stock purposes. 

There are very few freestone springs, but water, though generally of a 
very poor quality, can be obtained from wells at a very short distance 
beneath the surface. Water from the wells dug in the southern division 
of the county is usually very strongly impregnated with lime, while that 
supplied by the wells of the northern portion is either a sulphur water or 
else impregnated with the salts of iron. Good water is usually obtained 
from wells dug in the gray sands of the Piedmont Springs area, and in 
some portions of the southeastern part of the county, where the water 
comes from the overlying sands of the Quaternary. 

The rainfall is ample for all the requirements of either cultivation or 
stock-raising, the annual precipitation being about 43 inches, and nearly 
equally distributed throughout the year, as follows: 


Winter months—December, January, February*................. 10.94 inches. 
spring: months——Mareh, ApriliMay. oon. Siti. tae ae eee eneene 14.62 inches. 
Summer) months—June, July, August... i: 2.0..¢: bce ss cee Beees 7.46 inches. 
Fall months—September, October, November...................- 10.22 inches. 


ARTESIAN WATER. 


The question of a supply of good water being obtained from artesian 
wells in any portion of Grimes county, outside of the immediate vicinity 
of the Brazos river and its bottom lands, may be considered doubtful. 
In the bottom lands of the Brazos and Navasota rivers good water may 
possibly be obtained at depths ranging from 220 to 250 feet. Three 
wells bored at Navasota obtain their supply from a gray sand ata depth 
of 240 feet. The flow of two of these wells is fairly good, while in the 
third the water, although coming to the surface, requires pumping to 
cause any appreciable flow, and the water may be classed as of good quality 
.and suitable for all domestic as well as some classes of manufacturing pur- 
poses. In quality and characteristics it resembles that of the wells fur- 








*'These figures are deduced from observations made at the four signal stations 
nearest to and in the same region as Grimes county, viz., Brenham, College 
Station, Huntsville, and Hearne, as reported in Annual Report of Chief Signal 
Officer for 1890, pp. 729-730. The average precipitation in this region in 1891, 
as observed at these stations, was 44.39 inches.—Monthly Weather Review, De- 
cember, 1891, p. 327. : 


GRIMES COUNTY. 35 


ther north at Steele’s store and other places in Brazos county. The 
Navasota flow, however, is not so strong as at these localities. 

The only artesian well bored in the northern part of the county is at 
Lamb’s Springs, on the northernmost George Mason headright. This well 
is located in a high sand-covered country, and the whole of its depth is 
through Eocene deposits. It is 1000 feet deep, and passes through a 
series Of lignitic sands, clays, and lignites for its whole depth. In the 
boring three streams of water were passed through; the first, at 79 feet, 
reported as flowing 900 gallons per hour; the second, still larger, at 540 
feet; the third, at the bottom of the boring. The present flow is obtained 
from the 540 foot bed, and comes up in a strong stream, rising about 
eight feet above the surface. The water is strongly sulphurous and unfit 
for use. 

For the purpose of preserving the flow of the 540 foot stream, and at 
the same time sinking the well still deeper, in the expectation of finding 
a stronger flow of water, a smaller tubing was inserted and the boring 
continued. At 999 feet another flow of artesian water was reached. This 
last flow is not so strong as the one at 540 feet, and the water obtained is 
strongly saline and as disagreeable to the taste as ‘‘bittern.’’ It is 
utterly unfit for use. | 

There are no navigable streams in the county. The Brazos was, at one 
time, the chief commercial highway for the district, and small steamboats 
plied between the town of Washington, near the mouth of the Navasota 
river, and the coast. No traffic of any kind has been carried on by this 
method for a great number of years, and the river is now impassable for 
any but the smallest boats. 


MINERAL SPRINGS. 


Towards the lower border of the Eocene lignitic deposit and in the belt 
of gray sands and sandstones forming the Piedmont Springs area, there 
are several mineral springs, of which Piedmont, Kellum, and Shanghai 
Springs are the more important. The Shanghai Springs are, however, 
very little known, and have never been utilized either as a health or 
pleasure resort. All these supply sulphur water. 

Piedmont Springs are situated on the Moses Evans survey, and were 
once the center of a considerable floating population, of which nothing 
now remains but the ruins of an immense hotel. The springs themselves 
issue from the banks of a small creek, and are three in number—two 
close together, and the other a short distance down the creek. The water 
is sulphur, slightly thermal, and not very highly charged with sulphureted 
hydrogen. The flow is fairly good, and the spring deposits are mostly a 
pale yellow sulphur. 

Kellum Springs are situated on the southeast quarter of the William 


36 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Fitzgibbon league. The water is also a sulphur, and of a temperature 
similar to the Piedmont. The flow from the main spring is comparatively 
strong, and the water is slightly impregnated with sulphureted hydrogen. 
Kellum Springs were at one time a place of considerable resort for health 
and pleasure, but have now fallen into disuse. They have still a local 
reputation of extraordinary curative powers. 

The other smaller springs are all sulphur, and some of them so highly 
charged with sulphureted hydrogen as to give rise to the idea that they 
rise from and form the vents or outlets of a vast reservoir of gas at no 
great depth beneath the surface, and which might be profitably utilized. 
It is scarcely necessary to say that no evidence was found of the existence 
of such a reservoir, nor of natural gas (CH,), in this or any other por- 
tion of Grimes county. 


j ya 


Beit: 





CUA Pena BL 


BRAZOS COUNTY, 


GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. 


Brazos county belongs to the great group of counties comprising Mont- 
gomery, Walker, Grimes, and others to the eastward, and Washington and 
others to the west, forming a great secondary plain or prairie lying to the 
north of the coastal or primary plain. This county lies in the form of a 
delta between the Navasota river on the east, and the Brazos river on the 
west. It is bounded on the north by Robertson county. Its whole area 
comprises 519 square miles. 

The topographic features are simple in the extreme. Bordering the 
Navasota river on the east, there is a long narrow strip of low lying bot- 
tom lands, and the same feature characterizes the region along the Brazos 
‘river on the west. In the northwestern corner the whole of that portion 
lying between the Little Brazos and the Brazos rivers is low lying bot- 
tom lands, bordered on the east by a ridge of broken bluffs, rising toward 
the north into rounded gravel-covered hills having an altitude of 100 to 
150 feet above the general level of the bottoms. In the northeastern 
and northern areas the county presents a continuation of the brown 
prairies so extensively developed throughout the southern portion of 
Robertson county. The central and southern portions are rolling, and 
present the appearance of a great plain rising gently to the north, with 
extensive tracts of prairie, cut here and there at irregular intervals by 
long narrow strips of a stunted growth of timber. This timber usually 
marks the course of the creeks. In the extreme south the land is low, 
level, and mostly subject to overflow. 

The general altitude of the county does not exceed 350 feet above sea 
level, and the elevations of the principal points are: 


Ue See T AM tLe leo aie. ats ae Stae e mere odo tel ialot cfate ele MRC RAteTatenle te wade ede en) oa bse) ace e's 2 371 
BPTI LUL Ce TLCS NOTED, OLC DI VGN s ves salste ae re ier Meee no ts see va cele obese 375d 
REO OLS UALIOL «cre a « ace wit wele 00/0 orale & ee ima atNMeETSTa alate 9 vias 0, oto d edie o.0i d b0'%, oe 350 
DST L OTT G wads sarees Sle dies a ore eedaecs a he Gel le NN eT AS A le ORs SVE a ce We 6 ora, 0 0s 323 
MLPA OAs alt) on cand. er eatate ce iere ad eR cies ee EEE ae Pcie oa's chet ayapiaa ec gems es 300 
AMM rs wiacy od « eed Woreita TEE: « een OPERA UOC EN, Caco Ra Le Sadiseec elses 206 
PNR RS TEs aia ake Shs dls ls aus’s, Weed een eet aE OPN oie non cee news ed's Sas ae 253 
ro CUyLUeENLOSEIOCY FM Oreva. cabs. seers ae teeming et act re bite xt ee Sta as ote a 248 
POL Pee alek « cae Oe Ee reds te Ete MeN iid s oe oleh oe dacs s iw os 420 
Jes POI oe 0 di ae a oe A I ag ae I 5 a or 430 
Hill six miles north of Bryan............ SCNT o's Visine 6 os 0h % oes ware 360 


88 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


The county is drained by the two rivers, the Brazos and the Navasota, 
and their tributaries. Along the eastern boundary Little Cedar, Big 
Cedar, Sandy, Bowman, Brushy (with its tributary creeks, Wickson and 
Mathis), Carter’s, Salt Flat, and Peach creeks flow into the Navasota river. 
On the west the Little Brazos, Thompson, Turkey, White, and Hope 
creeks flow into the Brazos river. These creeks have generally wide, 
and most of them comparatively deep, courses or channels, but during 
the dry season and summer months are altogether dry, or nearly so. For 
the greater portion of the year water in these creeks exists only in the 
form of stagnant pools. 


GENERAL GEOLOGY. 


The geological section of Brazos county shows the alluvial or recent 
deposits covering many square miles bordering the Brazos and Navasota 
rivers, and extending for considerable distances along the channels of 
some of the larger creeks. ‘These deposits range in depth from a few feet 
in places to 30 feet or more in the immediate vicinity of the rivers. The 
Quaternary gravel and sands are but sparingly represented, and only 
throughout the higher portions of the county In the southern portions 
the lower divisions of the Navasota beds appear over a small area, and 
consist only of gray calcareous and non-calcareous sandstones. The 
upper or calcareous clay division of the Navasota beds, as represented 
near Courtney, in Grimes county, is altogether wanting, although proof 
of its former presence and subsequent erosion by the combined action of 
the two rivers can be easily recognized. In Grimes county, along the 
eastern side of the Navasota river, a ridge of gray calcareous sandstones, 
in the form of a series of bluffs, extends from near the river about two 
miles west of Navasota, in a general northern direction for several miles. 
On the west side of the Brazos river, in Washington county, there ex- 
tends a ridge corresponding in general structure and altitude, and hav- 
ing a course as nearly parallel to the Brazos as the Grimes county ridge 
to the Navasota. These two ridges both present abrupt faces riverward, 
and opposite each other, and by weathering are receding from both 
rivers. A great portion of the intervening area is now filled with recent 
deposits, but remnants of the eroded beds still remain in Barker’s prairie, 
and can also be seen at the bridge across the Brazos river on the Nava- 
sota and Washington road, and at Hidalgo Falls. 

Immediately underlying the beds belonging to the Navasota beds 
comes a series of gray sandstones, containing plant impressions in some 
places, and in other portions Cardita planicosta, Lam., and several gas- 
teropods belonging to the deposits of the Claiborne age. ‘These beds ap- 
pear to mark the southern boundary of the Eocene Tertiary in this part 
of the State. 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 39 


Underlying these fossiliferous gray sandstones there appears an exten- 
sive series of gray lignitic sands, clays, and lignites, thinly stratified and 
containing quantities of much broken plant remains and scattered bones 
of a reptilian fauna. ‘The base of this series of deposits consists of a 
heavy deposit of gypseous clay and sands, which rest directly upon the 
fossiliferous Claiborne greensands and marls as represented in the Mose- 
leys Ferry and Cedar creek sections, as well as on Campbell and Elm 
creeks in the southern portion of Robertson county. 

These fossiliferous greensands form a belt having an approximate width 
of four miles in the northeastern portion, and from four to five miles in 
the area drained by the Little Brazos river, and constitute the lowest 
horizon represented in Brazos county. 

The general dip of these beds is south 30 degrees east, in conformity 
with the general course of all the beds in this portion of the State. The 
lowest fossiliferous greensands have a dip of 75 feet per mile, where 
measured at Moseley’s Ferry on the Brazos river, and the lignitic deposits 
appear to have a general dip of about 50 feet per mile, but are very 
irregular. The Navasota beds vary exceedingly, but do not appear any- 
where to exceed 20 feet per mile. ‘These last show a gradual shallowing 
of dip from north to south. 

The general section shows the sequence and approximate thickness of 
the several deposits to be: 


1. Recent: River alluvium, found along the rivers and larger 
OO AN lerdal ose ene a keels tia '9 3 Heise. 2 aero ors gery eet are 15 to 30 feet. 
2. Quaternary: Grayish yellow and brown sands, intermixed 
with and overlaid by coarse gravels and pebbles of quartz, 
es SPU LOMAL LY WOOCE 9s a'20s clair din elw ic wpb eo Siiade Duniela xs aie whe 25 feet. 
3. Navasota beds: Southern portion of the county, gray cal- 
careous sands and sandstones, exposed chiefly in Barker’s 
et ieee ere rn are ote Sac ie Oy « hg we we ek RA 2G Sins at 150 feet. 
4, Eocene: 
(1) Gray sands and fossiliferous sandstones, forming a narrow 
belt across the southern portion of the county near Well- 
Pi EME attede oar enieatee: 12 leh et hk avers see ie adiacs Paden Siete lacs St nc 65 to 90 feet. 
(2) Laminated and lignitic gray and blue sands, with broken 


? plant remains and reptilian bones, occupying the greater 
DOLEGN Of GUC COUWLY.. jc..'5:corac ot slvicredels siure aie Annes ey eather 900 feet. 

(3) Gypseous clay, seen near Benchley and along the northern 
borden of thelienitic Sands..2 . 2 se euces ae ee wee ee ies o's Ss 30 feet. 


(4) Fossiliferous greensand marl, extending along the north- 
ern border of the county, best seen at Moseley Ferry on 
the Brazos river, and on Big Cedar near Wheelock. in 
PUMDGT EBON: COUDEY..,. Sects cus se ten ea ne os «  o' 565 to 600 feet. 


40 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 
RECENT. 


Extending along the eastern side of the county deposits of allu- 
vium or recent materials form a belt of from a half to one and a half 
miles wide. ‘These are the bottom lands of the Navasota river, and are 
subject to a very general and deep overflow. ‘The deposits are made up 
of brown tenacious clay, with considerable proportions of sand towards 
the upper end of the county, and are laid down in a more or less lamin- 
ated condition. 

On the western side of the county, and throughout the valley of the 
Brazos river, these recent deposits occur in bay-like areas, their continu- 
ity being frequently broken by the approach to the river and the forma- 
tion of bluffs by the older underlying beds. ‘The narrow strip of land 
lying between the Brazos and Navasota rivers in the southern, and the 
western area enclosed between the Brazos and Little Brazos rivers in the 
northwest corner of the county are both covered by deposits of recent 
formation. 

In structure these deposits present no peculiarities differing greatly 
from the alluvial deposits found in many other portions of the river’s 
course. Immediately adjoining the river the banks are made up almost 
entirely of a coarse massive sandy material showing few lines of stratifi- 
cation, and occasionally pockets or thin irregular deposits of a fine 
gravel. Great numbers of shells of the fauna still living in the river and 
along its banks occur scattered through these sands. 

Behind the sandy banks of the river the inward portion of the plain is 
slightly lower in altitude, and the deposits more in the nature of a stiff 
tenacious brown colored clay. 

The whole of the region occupied by these alluvial or fluviatile deposits 
is more or less subject to overflows during the wet season, the depth and 
extent of which varies with the seasons, and frequently intervals of sev- 
eral years occur between the successive flooding. In the southern part 
of the county the average depth of overflow is between 5 and 10 feet. 
In excessively wet seasons some portions of this region are covered with 
20 to 25 feet of water. - 


QUATERNARY. 


Quaternary deposits are but sparingly represented in Brazos county, 
and are made up almost entirely of brown sands and gravels, with iso- 
lated deposits of brown sandstones and conglomerates. The gravel consists 
mostly of pebbles of quartz, jasper, and silicified wood. Occasional peb- 
bles of conglomerate, feldspathic rocks and blue carbonaceous shales, as 
well as brown and purplish brown crystalline rocks, occur scattered through 
the mass. Of these the white and yellow stained quartz pebbles are the 


© 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 41 


most abundant, and feldspathic crystals the rarest. The proportions of the 
pebbles of other origin vary in different localities, but with the exception 
of the silicified wood are never very numerous. Occasional stray pebbles 
of the flinty character, so common in the valley of the Colorado, are 
found, but they are very rare. Ferruginous pebbles occur in several 
places towards the north. These are, however, of local origin, and ap- 
pear to be derived from the beds of ferruginous altered greensands found 
along the Robertson county line. 

The gravel deposits are best developed in a low, broad, rounded ridge 
extending from near the Little Brazos river, on the John Williams league, 
in a slightly northeastern direction, through the A. McMahon, John Mc- 
Millan, and other headrights, as far as the line of the Houston and Texas 
Central railway, on the Moses Baine league. This ridge is made up of 
ferruginous sandstones, brown sand, and considerable quantities of quartz 
and other pebbles. A section, where it crosses the railway, is shown in 
a cutting to be: 

1. Brown sands and gravels, with thin seams of ferruginous sand- 


BLOC SEA LIAS Ot eA Pe tac ate SETS age ode Mere os Hokage Oe ate ae 2 to 5 feet. 
PMA MULCAILC AGW AEA Neo oe ia ht tha ott che tt) hiss, Me ahaa e Ocal ays, 0 be 2 to 6 feet. 


Towards the northern end of the ridge, where the Bryan and Hearne 
road crosses the north prong of Thompson creek, the section shown in the 
creek bank is: 


1. Brown sands, mixed with ferruginous and quartz gravel......... 1 to 6 feet. 
PATINA ALOU Vr ee trio oe gn OS te tale + 6 bie scoala eg Wicka's woke oa 5 feet. 
SOME COLES O SLC Gr PRN et ee ones eee oe ak ie Mis cle a avais hea lgteles 4d mee ee ae 1 foot. 
4, Gray laminated clay, with sandy partings, to bed of creek....... 4 feet 


Going down the creek, or westward, the sand and gravel thickens rap- 
idly and shows more distinctly. A section of the bank, 150 yards west 
of the last, gives: 


Teme SUL S aT Coby cee eae oly a eet ac We wins Se edt tan oaks © als ae Rd mas 10 feet. 
2. Gravel bed, mostly quartz pebbles and silicified wood............... 2 feet. 
So Pay CLOSE DEMUCUISANU S te tatit sale ae rele d Brae Teme OMe oho Mende beht ge 4 feet. 


The line of separation between Nos. 1 and 2 of this section is distinctly 
marked, and the two le unconformable with each other. 

From this ridge northward, deposits of gravel occur covering the tops 
of the rounded hills, and on the O. Wilcox headright these gravelly peb- 
bles and brown sands cover the whole surface to the depth of over 
two feet. Towards the south, on the southern side of the ridge, brown 
sand and pebbles become scarce, except in the vicinity of the different 
creeks flowing into the Little Brazos river. 

Along the Brazos, and throughout the river valley, these deposits occur 
mostly in the form of pebbles of quartz, jasper, and silicified wood, with 


42 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


a few worn fragments of Cretaceous shells and blue and brown crystalline 
pebbles. These gravels do not appear anywhere upon the surface, but are 
usually found in wells at depths ranging from 25 to 30 feet. A section 
of a bluff on the Brazos river, near Munson’s shoals, shows their position 
and relation to the overlying river alluvium: 


USBrowmlvyer allovitii: pecs. cee eee ene SP PS Pi A Rae! Ack 18 feet. 
2. Old humus,a black sandy soil mixed with brown sand and gravel 2 feet. 
tee Pale DIME CHL ao sas uae Oso elteas +s ce Oa eT has Seek as oho eeneere 8 feet. 
As i Berra AMOS oY tlt Rieitse ten sie bo Wiens je ae celeste an aio ht care eee Ope 1 foot. 
5. Coarse gravel, mostly white and stained quartz pebbles, and con- 

taining: worn Cretaceows.slenle 2 Gcgss2 ss sets sess ea sea see 2 feet. 
6. Sort conglomeritic sandstone). . 7.25 - ae seamen eee 2 to 4 feet. 
7. Bluish green laminated lignitic clay, containing broken plant re- 

mains. Visible yw. 7. cay cee eae pea o Puree. co Ree ce 6 feet. 


Along the southern margin of the lignitic sands and clays, and close to 
the contact of these deposits with the immediately overlying sandstones, 
small deposits of gravel occupy a narrow belt along the contact. They 
do not cover a very large area, but frequently have a thickness of from 
two to four feet. 

Throughout the wide stretch of country lying east of Carter’s creek 
gray sands cover the whole surface, and intermixed with and overlying 
them, quartz gravel and pebbles of worn silicified wood occur at irregu- 
lar intervals and in ever varying proportions. Where the Bryan and 
Tola road crosses Wickson’s creek a section on the east side of the creek 
shows: 


Ty GLAy: SANG 52h... Sn. smrtatne te  ceayes ie Se © atone tae OI ee Rea en ae. 2 feet. 
Diy AREA EG len. Nate pages, wiete sacar P urate & EES boo 6 ae ee ee Eee ae 144 feet. 
Somman Goat ra Vel sintermixed 255 eivahice yo Sean cha er eee ee eee 1 to 6 feet. 
Wa OS oki) Palys eng) hie er, Se apa Bits ARNT Maida: oF UG I 1 foot. 
Dawotralmed “yellow sand 2.5 0.0....154.<5% We ated 6 oe eee ne eee 2 feet 


On the same creek, near the center of the west side of the G. H. Cole- 
man league, the gravel is associated with a deposit of brown ferruginous 
sandstone in the form of bowlders ranging from one to four feet in 
diameter, and at Alexander church, on the G. W. Singleton league, simi- 
larly formed sandstones occur in conjunction with small bowlders of 
conglomerate. 

From the divide separating the creeks flowing westward into the Col- 
orado and those flowing eastward into the Brazos the character of these 
drift materials begins to change. ‘The pebbles of flint, chert, quartz, 
feldspar, agate, and limestone, so strongly represented along the Colorado 
and the basin representing that river’s drainage area, become fewer in 
numbers and in smaller quantities as the crest of the divide is reached 
from the west. Crossing the divide, and coming eastward, a few of these 
Colorado pebbles are to be found near the heads of the different creeks 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 43 


lying in the Brazos river drainage area. These become less abundant as 
the river is approached, and very few pebbles of the Colorado materials 
appear within several miles to the west of the Brazos, and the occurrence 
of any such on the east side of the river is very rare. Except in the im- 
mediate channels of the Brazos and Little Brazos rivers, limestone peb- 
bles have not been seen anywhere among the drift materials of Grimes, 
Brazos, or Robertson counties, and the few found in such positions have 
been derived from the Cretaceous limestones lying immediately to the 
north of these areas. 


NAVASOTA BEDS. 


The deposits described as the Navasota beds occur in the form of rem- 
nants, or in only a fragmentary condition, in Brazos county. The upper, 
or calcareous division, so largely developed in the southern portion of 
Grimes, and also occurring in Washington county, is altogether want- 
ing in Brazos. ‘The lower, or calcareous and non-calecareous sandstones 
and gray sand division, is represented by the lowermost quartzitic and 
and semi-quartzitic sandstones and isolated patches of the gray calcareous 
sandstones found in the immediate vicinity of Navasota, Grimes county. * 

These deposits are confined to a small section lying in the extreme 
southern portion of the county, and are limited in their northern exten- 
sion by a line of fossiliferous sandstones extending irregularly across the 
county a short distance south of the town of Wellborn. They comprise 
a series of light gray laminated calcareous sandstones and gray sands, 
having an approximate thickness of 150 feet, and are found in the area 
embraced in Barker’s prairie, in the vicinity of Millican, extending 
southward and eastward to the edge of the river deposits bordering the 
the Navasota, and west to the alluvial deposits on the Brazos river. 
Small outliers occur at Hidalgo Falls, on the Brazos, and near the Wash- 
ington bridge. A section on the west side of the river at the Washing- 
ton bridge shows: 


Dems Ly ie OO Wiy BadhUl Y LORIN re cm tine eyjets otek Sas area leans! ws 5 feet. 
2. Bluish gray sand, showing lines of etratification in places.. 1 to 2 feet. 
3. Indurated gray sand, with pockets of white sandy clay..... 4 feet. 
Me LAE ad ran 8, ssa Dona ada n't ePenle suc Fate's Row clips PRS eh che 5 sobs 1g to 1 foot. 
PEOATSE OTAY. BANG tts g cota aut 1e een Ar averages aka: 9, < 1 foot. 
i SRO CD ee eeeoene eR eek Wetec ono Ae en 1 foot. 
Paine. Dinish pray Sand << 2... e.ca~ iv ogi naan Baicaets wists <'s vere 4 feet. 
SMILE Olay An DOCKEUS 7 at corsa cae inte ei mend Tse das a aes 2 to 6 inches. 
9. Gray sand and sandstones, irregular in structure......... oe 3 feet. 
Oe Ch ee eee eee seg suabaegauettet ale FE ad 6 inches. 
Ghee caree ane ular sand... iss - ata pincellers PE eh ee 10 feet. 
PON TTIME OLY CLAY 33.015, satus aan pie Me + Sepa OPM cule Tuts a3 oe 1l¢ feet. 
13. Sandstone with streaks of clay, to water......... ee eae 3 feet. 





*See Grimes county report, p. 9, 


44 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


At Hidalgo Falls the sandstones extend, in the form of a ridge, diag- 
onally across the river from the northeast to the southwest, and on the 
Washington county side, a short distance west of the river, are overlaid 
by a gray calcareous thinly bedded and lenticularly formed sandstone, 
which rises to an elevation of over 100 feet above the level of the river. 
These latter form a series of bluffs, which extend as a ridge northward 
for several miles. 

The section shown along the southern side of Barker’s prairie strongly 
resembles that seen in this Washington county ridge, as well as the ridge 
extending along the east side of the Navasota river in Grimes county. 

The whole structure of this portion of Brazos, Grimes, and Washing- 
ton counties bears unmistakable evidence of these sandstone beds having 
been laid down continuously across the whole area, and that active ero- 
sion carried on by both of the rivers has cut through and removed the 
greater portion of the beds and replaced the sandstones and sands by 
heavy deposits of river silt. 

Numerous fossil remains have been reported from the overlying clays 
and conglomerates found in the neighborhood of Hidalgo Falls,* but with 
the exception of a tooth of a mastodon no remains were obtained by us. 


EOCENE. 


Immediately underlying the Navasota beds come the great series of 
Eocene deposits, which extend from the latitude of Wellborn station 
northward throughout the whole of the northern portion of the county. 
The line marking the southern margin of these beds, beginning on the 
Navasota river on the J. Gray headright, passes westward along the 
north side of the Robert Matthews headright to the southeast corner of 
the N..Clampett headright, thence southwest through the Samuel W. Rob- 
ertson league, to the south corner of the Thomas Caruthers league, 
thence through the Robert Stephenson league to near Wellborn and 
southwest to the Brazos river. 

The Eocene deposits admit of a separation into three divisions, each 
widely separated from the other in structure and lithological conditions, 
although closely united by their contained fauna. The beds have been 
divided, according to their lithology, into the following divisions: 

1. Gray sandstone, containing Cardita planicosta and other Ko- 


cene fossils in some localities, and in others leaves and stems 
OE GULGTIUS cutter c cele ote iv aa, 406 a ve ce deere s oie aoe ee sate aati er ne ee 65 to 90 feet. 








*The Miocene beds are surmounted at some localities, as at Hidalgo Falls, 
with a pebbly deposit cemented with ferruginous matter into a coarse pudding 
stone or conglomorate. ‘This deposit has yielded in more or less abundance the 
bones of Mastodon, Elephas, Megalony, Equus (2. fossilis), Crocodilus, and 
Testudo. (B. F.Shumard, Trans. St, Louis Academy of Science, Vol. II, p.141.) 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 45 


2. Thinly bedded gray and dark gray sandy clays, laminated and 
thinly bedded sands and clays, with thin seams of lignite and 


PV PseOun GLAVG. ta veces a itas cee sites wee y Uren anette Crt are reine tere 900 feet. 
3. Brown ferruginated fossiliferous greensand marls, green sands 
and green clays, with occasional seams of lignite............ 650 feet. 


1. Gray Sanpstones. — These sandstones, with their accompanying 
gray sands, although here tentatively denominated the Wellborn beds, 
belong to, and help to form a part of, the series of gray sands and sand- 
stones extending across the State from the Neches river in Polk county 
as far west as Sunnyside church, in Lee county. 

In Grimes county these beds have narrowed down to a belt occupying 
an irregular area lying between the calcareous sands and sandstones of 
the Navasota beds and the underlying dark gray sands and lignites of 
the lignitic group, and appear only as isolated patches. 

In Brazos county the gray sands and sandstones form an irregularly 
defined belt of varying width extending across the county from the edge 
of the Navasota bottom lands on the east to the Brazos river on the west. 
They are hard, close-grained, and compact, occasionally showing a ten- 
dency to become quartzitic. ‘The country occupied by them is generally 
flat and prairie-like, covered by gray sand, and few outcrops or continu- 
ous ledges of the sandstones can be seen anywhere. 

Small outcrops occur at several places on the Sam Davidson and James 
Hope leagues, on the western side of the county, where the belt has an. 
apparent width of nearly three miles. These outcrops are irregular in 
areal extent and thickness, and appear usually as isolated patches or 
‘¢knobs’’ surmounting the small rounded hills forming the uplands of 
this regio. The sandstones here rest upon the upper beds of the lignitic 
sands and clays found farther north. A section on a small creek on the 
south side of the James Hope headright shows: 


Peeper a ee arr eee LAV Clee aa irs shite 0% 6 sont Sohne elie lls ee iad neta eee es 1 foot. 
2. Gray sand, with great quantities of silicified wood................. 5 feet. 
3. Gray indurated sand, with ledges of soft sandstone ................ 10: feet. 
A-etaray sancstone, jointed, and.thiniy bedded... a2. si cats ee sa oe Je eet. 
5. Dark brown lignitic clay, showing yellow streaks and sulphur 

BiLOL ESCO COn ee art «eae eure Meas oie ole Cee Rep ers oe welsh pe aes 20 feet. 


Near the mouth of White’s creek the gray sandstones are seen capping 
the higher grounds. Here these rocks are arranged in three ledges, 
showing an aggregate thickness of 20 feet, and rest upon the dark brown 
clays of the lignitic deposits. No fossils have been obtained from them, 
except a few small dicotyledenous leaves, but their direct continuity with 
the fossil bearing sandstones has been traced along a series of small 
outcrops across the county by way of Minter Springs and Wellborn to the 
junction of the two on the R. Stephenson league. 

Going east from Wellborn, light gray laminated sandy clays and thin 

*6—Geol 


46 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


beds of sandstones appear in the cuttings and washouts along the south 
side of the R. Stephenson league for a distance of several miles. About 
three miles to the southeast of the station, at Dr. Williams’ quarry, on 
the same league, an exposure of regularly bedded gray sandstones ap- 
pears along the north bank of a small stream. ‘The general section at 
this place appears to be: 


1. Gray sands, showing some distance down the creek............. 2 to 8 feet. 
2. Thinly laminated light gray (almost white) sandy clays......... 2 to 8 feet. 
3. Broken deposit of sandstone, containing fossils................4. 2 feet. 
4, Regular and even bedded gray fossiliferous sandstone........... 6 feet. 


The fossils have been determined by Mr. G. D. Harris to be Eocene, 
and of Claiborne age, and comprise such species as Yoldia compsa, Gabb., 
Cardita planicosta, Lam., Cytheréa dicoidalis, Con., Mactra, sp., Corbula 
nasuta, Con., Solen, sp., Cylichna kelloggii, Gabb., Turritella mortoni, Con- 
rad, and others. The fossiliferous rocks are confined to a small area ex- 
tending but a few hundred yards along the creek, and having an exposed 
width of only between 50 and 100 feet. 

Throughout the region known as Rock prairie the same series of gray 
sandstones may be seen exposed in small outcroppings, and on the N. 
Clampitt headright they appear in the form of a ledge from 18 to 25 feet 
in thickness. In this place the sandstones form two beds, of which the 
upper shows a face from three to five feet in thickness. The same sand- 
stones have also been found in wells in this neighborhood at a depth of 
60 feet, but so far as known are unfossiliferous. 

9. Tuinty Beppep Gray anp Dark Gray Sanpy Ciays, LAMINATED 
AND THINLY BeppED SANDs AND Crays, wita Tarn Beps or LIGNITE AND 
GypsEous Crays.— These beds occupy the greater portion of Brazos 
county. Their northern boundary, forming an irregular line, beginning 
on the Navasota river about two miles south of the old San Antonio road 
crossing, in the northeastern corner of the county, and extending ina 
general southwest course approximately parallel to the old San Antonio 
road as far as Benchley, a distance of eighteen miles, and thence turning 
nearly south to the Brazos river, nearly a mile south of the confluence of 


that river with the Little Brazos. Their southern edge passes under the 


the gray fossiliferous sandstones in the vicinity of Wellborn, near the 
southern end of the county. 

The portion of the county occupied by these beds is generally level or 
slightly rolling and prairie-like, covered throughout the greater extent 
by a light colored to dark gray sand with scattering pebbles, and for the 
greater part nearly devoid of timber of any kind. A few small trees of 
post oak, black jack, and cottonwood grow along the banks and narrow 
bottoms of creeks, and occasional ‘‘ motts’’ or small areas covered with 
the same class of timber dot the higher levels, 


ER OE ee 


ee eer 


BRAZOS COUNTY. A7 


Few creeks of any size intersect these beds. ‘The larger ones have 
usually narrow, deep channels, showing clear cut sides often to the depth 
of twenty or more feet. 

The beds admit of two divisions, the basal being a heavy clay contain- 
ing selenite or gypsum crystals, some of these twinned and having the 
appearance of arrowheads. ‘The upper division comprises a series of lam- 
inated gray and thinly stratified deposits of gray and brown or pink col- 
ored sands and dark brown and blue clays, with occasional thin seams of 
lignite and lignitic materials. 

The sections obtained present a decidely uniform appearance every- 
where. A section on Bee creek, in the northeast corner of the county, 
shows: 

Bete Ey LAN WIRES OL ee 6 retains oy bo ai eo sola he © i's «7a 2,6 LIARS Gorin rates A egrer 6 inches. 
Gane Us KH AREAL Ce ete eae ane ferate ral hs alyiudte ep ea ee siete «6 <8 5 aaa aes ewes 5 feet. 
3. Thinly stratified yellowish gray sands and dark brown clay, with 


thin streaks of lignite, the deposits lying in beds from 2 to 6 
ASE 1s TIAGO RILES Ss yies aa reise ave hol apt vee) wilds eave wateld stale Sphacelelels s/s! 22 feet. 


Four miles southwest of Tabor, near the Wheelock and Bryan road, a 
section shows: 


eee Pave LOUIE TOOLO A lie tated: Oe ee cio Melis 5 yate Pies, 3-4 15,0 «Sue eel te 8 fare oly 116 feet. 
Pee OCUeeo Tay air SOLOWIMNEADOs. oc ckin's sd be vee Se ea yee eee te eee 4 feet. 
LUT UIPIL OS SiMe LOC cosas «Ba wecare ol. edo Hale alslaisiame abe peieaue sk as 3 inches. 
Ge TEER CRS GE? |} ADVTS, ELE AS a) ek OP Caer MMOs ho or Oa eae a a 1 foot. 


On Bowman’s creek a section near the center of the Bowman league 
shows: 


PEL ACiC SOM OMOVCLIOWRIALIU ee eer Le tals he ok bs a eg Ren ee wee pe ree 3 feet. 


2. Dark gray, changing to a brown, sandy clay. containing blocks of 
BUITCUN MUR OOUT re acti e we tate) ss procs. 1a aly Siete Bee Ss saan leee has 8 feet. 


In Thompson’s creek, near mile post 101 of the Houston and Texas 
Central Railway, the lowest deposit seen in the bed of the creek is a dark 
grayish and bluish green sand, having a very slight dip toward the south- 
east. 

In the neighborhood of Harvey Postoffice, five miles southeast of 
Bryan, wells dug from 25 to 30 feet pierce a thin seam of lignite not ex- 
ceeding two feet in thickness. 

The whole of the region lying between these sections is covered with 
gray sand, having a light gray, almost white, subsoil, and underlaid by 
thinly laminated sandy clays and dark gray sand deposits. Lignite de- 
posits, from six inches to two feet thick, are reported from nearly every 
well in this area, found at a depth of about 40 feet, and water is usually 
obtained in a white quicksand at a depth varying from 60 to 90 feet. 

Along the western side of the county the creeks are usually much 
deeper. Sections obtained in this area show the same characteristics. A 


48 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


section on Turkey creek, on the east side of the T. J. Wooten league, 
shows: 


1. Gray surface sand, containing pebbles of quartz and silicified 


WOO evap y Ree orto k nets Oe Ree er ta a tale ov Sh ene ahs Breese ] foot. 
2. Unstratified gray sand, showing no dip, but overlying the suc- 

ceeding bed anGConlormaDly join oh. « <ala close nn came sees 10 to 15 feet. 
3. Thinly laminated dark brown sand, with lignitic partings and 

DOK SM: Plan Li Temaiiisi stoi scl a'e cs os vols ores ein ssatelcrmre = anes tele 8 feet. 
4. Darker laminated and more lignitic sands and sandy clays.... 9 feet. 
5. Dark brown lignitice sands, thinly stratified and showing cleav- 

APG POTS Goin cca caus eet ae pale ote aehare ate ats dscns Aron ohel itso, ty a eee 4 feet. 
6. Light grayish blue sands, with perpendicular joints running 

Cas ANG Wests VISLDLC'. cre cis wie Miresctaials WV Sieur) slalerc wee ieye henna mene 4 feet. 


These beds dip south 20 east from 3 to 5 degrees. 


In this neighborhood wells bored to the depth of 100 feet pass through 
the same class of materials as comprised in this section through the whole 
of their depth. 

At Jones’ bridge across the Brazos, a section of the bluff beneath the 
bridge shows: 


1. Yellowish gray suriace cantl 205. «slnwiee ce «00h on vn sf oe 20 feet. 
2. Thin seam of sandy soil, showing about 300 feet above the bridge... 2 feet. 
Wee AlN CxASeN Ost Goo unis sree wane ste MS machin aa vista cat. boa eee eine Seas Ree 10 feet. 
4, Bluish green sandy clays, containing fragments of lignite and break- 
MPUULO OVOIG DIOCKSs asic ote a es ess cee noes ror ata ee eae 4 feet. 
O-* DAIUISN Sant V(Cla ys. seers to ce oe a © ue eee eRe one cee ae eee 12 feet: 
6. Greenish sandy clay,with lignitic patches, breaking into nodules and 
partially lamin ated ti ork pact pow ea ste Cee his ee eee 7 feet. 
i. Covered-up, buteprobably the sanie:dgoN 0.6... sone. . Ge eet ene eee 5 feet. 


8. Same as No. 6 
These beds dip slightly east of south and about 5 degrees. 


This bluff extends about 300 yards along the river, and is covered up 
at both ends by deposits of recent river drift. 

Going up the river about two miles, Munson’s shoals are reached. 
These shoals are formed by a bluish green lignitic clay, containing great 
quantities of broken plant remains. A section on the Brazos county side 
of the river shows: 


LOEB TOW OU arlV Gri LOA oc cc Giare ay aoctge toe eee ae cia eaten ae ae 18 feet. 
2. Old humus, black sandy clay or clayey loam, mixed with brown 
sand containing a few drift pebbles.,.00)..5...¢.0 dese eee 2 feet. 
Cpee OPO LUG CLS Vig aah tch cos « o:0's » «'e'e'a!o Ox Redgarcition oe Care a a S feet. 
SST OW TN BaU Ee oe ely pon pice tn § a of shee bts ee 1 foot. 
5. Gravel, containing worn Cretaceous shells.............f.ceeecee 2 feet. 
O..OOL CONS OMen lic sandstonés....i.00 een oe. oe eee 2 to 4 feet, 
7. Bluish green lignitic clay, breaking into blocks and containing | 
broken plant remains, and extending across the river, visible. . 6 feet, 


Throughout the region contiguous to the Brazos river, from White’s 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 49 


creek southward, until the overlying gray sandstones are ‘reached, the 
country presents the same rolling sandy characteristics found along the 
eastern and northeastern portion of the county. 

Two and a half miles south of College Station the section shown in a 
small tributary of White’s creek is as follows: 


PeaeL SG ace Crk MEE WOOL gery waa chia betes Ae teeth ew aleesd 6 Me sac wig 1s to 1 foot. 
Prec IMeUratiuled eray GANUYy- Cla tn’ wee os Oh eaies olelce dows cieatans ane es 5 feet. 
3. Thinly stratified gray sandy clay to bottom of creek........... 7 feet. 


On the main stream of White’s creek, near where the public road 
crosses, the bank shows a section of: 


TAA ca Mee TE CY WRGEN TN Cees ere eee, FM Se's earere sale las, Wo} < ao. Siw eiaecnie Mace ees aren bd lei 1 foot. 
EEE ALSCOLCILU CY RAIL oe 5 cates ruta a ay Lea alls (ares wiih ieee ee Ob oi ras 20 feet. 
3. Thinly stratified and laminated gray sandy clay...........essee.-e- 4 feet. 


Dip, southeast 5 degrees. 


Small fragments of lignite occur scattered along the bed of this creek 
for nearly a mile. They are mostly fresh in appearance, and do not ap- 
pear to have traveled far, although no outcrop could be seen. 

Along the Brazos, and generally throughout the James Hope and Sam 
Davidson leagues, the gray sandstones, wherever visible, are underlaid 
by a heavy deposit of brown colored, thinly stratified, and laminated 
lignitic sandy clay, showing an efflorescence of sulphur, and in many 
places having yellow laminz intermixed with the brown sands. A well 
bored at the Agricultural and Mechanical College is reported as passing 
through upwards of 900 feet of these lignitic deposits before reaching the 
underlying fossiliferous greensands and clays. 

Wells in the neighborhood of Bryan obtain water in these clays at 
depths ranging from 60 to 80 feet. In one of the wells part of the lower 
jaw of a crocodile, (Crocodilus, sp.), was found at the depth of 72 feet. 
The general section of the wells in the neighborhood of Bryan is: 


UR a LON BAAD peut re rere chat Pie ets so a inks TD mie hiss ee wicthasewie ms 1 to 3 feet. 
2. Thinly stratified and irregular laminated gray sands and pink- 

Ree OER CLAY Siac cea s altace wa tine ase tiate sha Siete cla a vier, © wlelst ois 60 feet. 
pee bluish aray sands With WaAlern scat soso et ee ica te nas ies 10 feet. 
4, Laminated dark gray clay, with broken plant remains and Croc- 

RIEU S ein d Peas crcid 5 ala Sia oie oie oo Mies a Ae aes etotaary toa Wigte, oe cc receve les 15 feet. 
Peet oat eat, BATEC | WILLE WALOL:. co: este coat A saat Sees bee DS a a gan, o bie | Me a ko oats 


The basal division of these beds comprises a series of heavy clay de- 
posits containing great quantities of gypsum in the form of selenite. 
Many of the crystals are beautifully formed, and frequently twinned in 
the form of arrow heads. In the northeastern portion of the beds the 
gypsum occurs in large blocks of irregular form. 

Small exposures of this division occur along the prongs of Bee creek, 
near its head on the W. C. Sparks league, and also along the northern 


5O GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


end of the George W. Singleton league. In the neighborhood of Bench- 
ley, on the L. W. Laughlin league, a cutting on the Houston and Texas 
Central Railway shows the gypseous clays extending along the road over a 
mile. <A section at this place shows: 


ly. Brown sandiand Sravel...5 3s eek.ce se een cee one ig ey eer re 3 to 5 feet. 
2. Brown coffee colored clay, with great quantities of gypsum.. .. 2 to 6 feet. 


Westward, on the southeast corner of the O. Wilcox league, the gyp- 
sum appears only as minute crystals disseminated through a brown clay. 
A section of a small brook in this region showing: 


1. Pebbles s «sce sles s oe'8 08 os tem © ys ubiens as doo tsk epee le) eos eee ee etek lee a ee scattering. 
2. Black clayey soil, showing efflorescence of gypsum..... Pe nae 1 to 4 feet. 
3. Brown clay, breaking into cuboidal blocks and containing ecrys- 

tadis Of) SY PSUDIs oicnes aise ss Gira Tisom oe teehee ene en Cay Eee meee 2 to 6 feet. 
AP BrOWT BAN Coe cwie o> Dotece a See eee Bete ra Bw Een ees ets ete ce 1 foot. 


These deposits lie apparently in an unconformable manner upon the 
fossiliferous greensand marls belonging to the Claiborne group proper, 
as shown in the Moseley Ferry and Cedar creek sections. 

3. Brown FerruGinous GREENSAND MARLS, GREENSANDS, AND GREEN- 
isH Brus Crays. — The lowest deposits found in Brazos county are a 
series of brown ferruginated greensand marls, greensands, and greenish 
blue clays, with occasional thin beds of irregularly deposited lignite. 

The beds belonging to this series form a western extension of the 
Cook’s Mountain series of the upper marine Eocene, and approximately 
lie in the same horizon as the beds found at Alto, in Cherokee, and on 
Hurricane bayou and Alabama bluff, on the Trinity river, in Houston 
county. ‘The Brazos county beds, like those of corresponding age east of 
of the Trinity, contain an abundant and well preserved fauna. ‘These 
beds have not yet been connected stratigraphically with the Houston 
county or Trinity river beds, although they have been traced from the 
Brazos eastward across Brazos county to the Navasota river, and for a 
short distance into Madison county. ‘They are also known to occur at 
several intermediate points in Leon county. 

Paleontologically, as well as as lithologically, the Houston county beds 
present a strong affinity to those of Brazos county in several respects, 
more particularly in the occurrence of the Spirorbis leptostoma, Swain, 
and Plicatula filamentosa, Conrad, as well as several other species. The 
former of these fossils was described in the Houston county beds under 
the name of Vermetus, a name now found to be incorrect. These two 
fossils appear to be the characteristic forms belonging to the uppermost 
beds of this horizon, and occur in great numbers at all the places where 
the beds are seen in Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Brazos, as well as at 
Alabama bluff and Hurricane bayou. 

These beds immediately underlie the gypseous clays and sands forming 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 51 


the base of the Yegua or lignitic division of the Claiborne, and the want 
of conformity noticed towards the eastern portion of the State, in Chero- 
kee county and in Houston county, is also noticeable in Brazos county. 

This want of conformity between the greensands and the overlying 
lignitic or estuarine deposits is marked in Brazos county by the presence 
of boulders of altered fossiliferous sandstones found occasionally im- 
bedded in the lignitic sands. 

Five miles north of Bryan, where the Bryan and Hearne public road 
crosses the south prong of Thompson’s creek, a section showing the pres- 
ence of these fossiliferous boulders in the lower portion is as follows: 


PUERCO AVEOAUU ESOT Wee eter eee aver ege eee Te tole De eae fee 1 foot. 
MMI AT EOL EVE CATIC VORULISOLL Pie tele Gives So Crude tock MOU ee Cen Tat hes 114 feet. 
3. Yellow and brown stained sand, containing quartz and ferrugin- 

ous gravel and silicified wood in lower division ............. 2 feet. 
4, Thin broken stratum of fossiliferous sandstone ................. 8S inches. 
5. Yellowish gray sandy clay, with boulders of iron containing 

casts of Cardita planicosta and other fossils, visible .......... 4 feet. 


The well boring at the Agricultural and Mechanical College entered 
a dark blue fossiliferous clay at a depth of between 900 and 1000 feet. 
This represents the blue clay No. 5 of the Moseley ferry section, and not 
the upper beds containing the Spirorbis leptostoma and Plicatula jilamentosa 
seen near Benchley, which, had they been present in this locality, should 
have been found in the boring at 650 feet. These sands with their ac- 
companying fossils were not found, and from their absence it may be 
inferred that about 250 or 300 feet of fossiliferous greensands and clays 
had been removed by erosion before the deposition of the gray sands and 
gray and blue lignitic clays. 

The portion of the beds belonging to this series found in Brazos county 
occupies a narrow belt not exceeding four miles in width at the north- 
eastern end, and five miles in the southwestern or Little Brazos area. 
This belt extends along the northern end of the county in a generally 
southwesterly direction as far as the Houston and Texas Central Railway 
in the neighborhood of Benchley station, whence the line of contact be- 
tween these and the overlying Yegua or lignitic beds turns in a southerly 
direction and extends in a line approximately parallel to the course of the 
Little Brazos river, crossing the Brazos about half a mile south of the 
confluence of the two rivers. 

The country occupied by these deposits, in the northern part of the 
county, forms an extension of the great Wheelock prairie, and is level or 
slightly rolling. Towards the western portion, the country becomes 
hilly and rough, showing a series of rugged bluffs along the eastern bank 
of the Little Brazos river. 

In the western portion of the county the sequence of these beds is best 


52 GROLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


seen in the section shown in the bluff on the western side of the Brazos 
river at Moseley’s ferry. The section is: 


1. -<Brownishyvellaw stiriace loai ste «cores nus Bineinia 3 eet een 15 feet. 
2. Thin stratum of fossiliferous iron ore, in boulder form ........ 6 inches. 
a. Bluedaminated- fossiliferdus Glay nee ee ne ee to ee cee 3 feet. 
4, Fossiliferous iron ore, running under the river about 100 yards 
below. the ferry 2...3.2.. 202%.) 0s us pies. sie + «ine ae ar ere ae 2 feet. 
6. Laminated fossiliferots blue Giay =. 4. sca eee ee ceeuaeleras 6 feet. 
6; -Fossiliferous Jron: Oe: 2.5 weve ees se tee a ores See eee ee 2 feet. 
7. Altered fossiliferous greensand, found in north end of bluff .... 10 feet. 
8. Thinstratum of fossiiferous 4romorer a. se 20 ve et eee .. -2-feet. 


9. Greensand, containing great quantities of fossils, dark green near 
ferry, but becoming a brown at north end, and merging into 

No. 7, measuring at [erry . .pochanty doe is <eicel. beckekt eee ee 5 feet. 
10. Thinly laminated blue clay, changing into brown near top, and 
weathering to a light blue toward the bottom; the upper brown 
portion is fossiliferous and the lower blue contains occasional 


crystals. of selenite... ..0..% Shah Ses hane Wee eet pe ree wate ere 15 feet. 
Ii. Dark, almost black,4fossiliferous sandy clay. -s25 o2 se eee 10 feet. 
12. Thin seam of black clayey sand, jointed and stained brown along 

joints and on outside, apparently unfossiliferous............. 1 foot. 
13: Same\as No.11, extending into civer. wer eee eh ee eee 8 feet. 
No.3 also forms'a ledge six feet deep inthe river oes 6 feet. 


The dip of these beds is south 30 east. 


This region was visited by Dr. Ferdinand Roemer in 1847, who says: 

‘¢ While on a tour to the upper Brazos I discovered, in the neighbor- 
hood of the town of Caldwell, strata of a ferruginous sandstone with 
numerous well preserved Tertiary shells. Crossing afterwards the Brazos, 
not far from this town, I had a still better opportunity to see this forma- 
tion along the steep banks of this river. It consists of alternating strata 
of brown ferruginous sandstone and of dark colored plastic clays, both 
teeming with fossils.’’* 

The bluff is about 1500 feet long and from 25 to 30 feet high, and 
with the exception of the upper 15 feet of brownish yellow sandy loam is 
fossiliferous throughout. The fossils, in addition to being very plenti- 
ful, are all in a very good state of preservation and easily obtained. 

The upper laminated clays and the beds of fossiliferous iron ore are 
again seen in the bank of the Little Brazos river near the iron bridge on 
the Bryan and Caldwell road, about two miles east of the ferry, and 
stretch for some distance both up and down the river. A section near 
the bridge shows: 


l7@hoeghte brownslayey soil. o.a.0 04. eet we RAMA Ske: 10 to 15 feet. 
DRAG EN CLR his ot atal Wes ole sx: 9 "Sine > Cae LR ee e. asda es 2to 4 feet. 
op aininaved Uniossiliferous Clays.is.%.. ¢. 2. ¢e eee 4 feet. 
4. Pale Dlueolay,untossiliferous.....0i..% . aon See ee 1 to 3 feet. 





* American Journal of Science and Arts, Vol. VI, second series 1848, p. 23. 


BRAZOS COUNTY, 58 


5. Thinly laminated blue to black fossiliferous clay.............. 6 feet. 
Goat. Hih scram Or Losi LIGrOusarOD OTe... <. ee eas ees ee ba edn 1 foot. 
Pee OPS CEOUB LAT OCR CIA) in Sia waists. e wales < Shvisialince hen 65s .e.e9 se Se 3 to 8 feet. 


In this place the section shows the Eocene deposits to be in contact, 
although unconformably, with the drift gravel, and the gravel itself 
overlaid by 10 to 15 feet of river alluvium. 

Five hundred yards south of the:mouth of the Little Brazos river a 
section of a bluff near Wellborn shoals shows: 


Pees TAGE MSO Lette n taseerennes eu pcm cacrene eee tin toro ela ES ar a ear ie a eee Pee 2 feet. 
BeeOrOW ie lO“ni. WIth MIN y COUCTCLIONS.'. 2.0 yi + <iuiviee ese aoe ee 8 8ls 25 feet. 
3. Fine brownish yellow sand, with occasional streaks or pockets 

Is ST AMO LONe Qumene te ts ais cet Nel aire aratieta os wives waide aa c-s ta wees 15 feet. 
4. Gravel, with water-worn Cretaceous shells...............c0008 2 to 4 feet. 
Om Tele pier unocelliferous: CIR Vs do peed ls. cu See + lence + whale ws 5 feet. 
6. Dark green sands, showing fossils in. lower portion (this sand 

LOTS ae DOron.Ols WV ellDOLOeSNOAaIG) as cc yo «oa em aor She 2 to 5d feet. 


7. Dark colored laminated fossiliferous sandy clay, running under 
the river 300 yards below mouth of Little Brazos, and form- 


Ppa PpPeirPOrulolls OF SIOGIE We cals said oa'e basin ac tate aioe ccs 4 4 feet. 
Sreberri yin OUs pAanUsLOUes. 2 ees fas wedi ioe ete ee oe tes ate y s 8 inches. 
eM OAS ING Rite t us accord wre Bruty, Be wichily' ss Oa we Sols Ss wes aks Pee eee os 


This section shows the last of the fossiliferous greensands and clays 
found in the Brazos river section. 

The east bank of the Little Brazos river, from the north side of the D. 
Harvey survey northward to the Robertson county line, is formed of a 
succession of bluffs showing small exposures of fossiliferous ferruginous 
sandstones, and on the O. Wilcox and Wilson Reed headrights the region 
is covered by a yellowish brown sand containing nodules of iron ore and 
sandstone, with fossils. The fossils here are chiefly Plicatula filamentosa, 
Conrad, Spirorbis leptostoma, Swain, and fragments of Cardita planicosta, 
Lamarck, and a few other broken and indistinct forms. This assemblage 
corresponds somewhat closely to that found on the prairies near Whee- 
lock, and in the northeastern portion of the county near the Madison 
county line. 

In the eastern portion of the county the prairie character of the sur- 
face prevents the obtaining of many sections, and those obtained are 
generally very small. A section on Town branch, one of the tributaries 
of Bee creek, shows: 


Meets SOK ULTACE «SOL Vcc s.cc ak ie ealem saree cee ere mires 5 aoc anes 1lto3 _ feet. 
Mee earie DEO WO" 2 ¥ PSCOUS Cla Gs nti ok owe ae ee TA ered stars os 5 68 146 feet. 
See row Ossi liferous SANGSTONE . 52.555 selena Sete tase) wy ss cle do's V¢ foot. 
AeBasTOW IL ORSIIICTOUS. GIAY sage kiss tincahath terme a oe vee leek 1 foot. 
Dat DLOWlalOssiliferous SandstOmeassan sane alse ieee. sec la cele os 1¢ foot. 
OmMArOW TT ORSIIIICYOUS Cl3Y xo. 5 cass ae on i ee te ere oss» ncn a's-a 1 foot. 
7. Blue laminated clay, in which no fossils were seen, to bed of 


Ere ee. os sky ce ne ca ee OE ee ee ag 2 feet. 


54 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


The continuation of these beds, as seen near the Navasota river in the 
northeastern corner of Madison county, shows the following section: 


1. Brown sand, gravel, and conglomerate, in boulders................. 20 feet. 
2. Brownish yellow fossiliferous sand, containing Spirorbis leptostoma, 

Swain, Plicatula filamentosa, Conrad, and other fossils............ 2 feet. 
3. Ferruginous sandstone, containing Plicatula filamentosa, Conrad, in 

PTEAb TUM DELS wis 3500 sto. <se wince tre ss oie ah ths aee eee at enero cairn eaten a eee 1 foot. 
ATUDTOWN alll ca ws eae eis as eis eer fod 0 daimiule fide eats wee ce Ot piste We 8G) dere ee iste eae 


ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 
SOILS. 


The soils of Brazos county, with the exception of the bottom lands, 
although nearly all fit for cultivation, may be classed as poor. In the 
region of Barker’s prairie, in the southeastern part of the county, and also 
in several portions of the area occupied by the gray sandstones of the 
Wellborn beds of the Fayette division of the Eocene, the gray sandstones 
appear on the surface over considerable tracts, and at other places the 
gray sandy soil of these beds is too thin and scant for cultivation. The 
soils belong altogether to the two grades, alluvial or sedimentary, and 
residual or sedentary. 

ALtuviAL.—The alluvial soils are found almost exclusively along the 
bottom lands of the Brazos river. A narrow strip extends along the west 
side of the Navasota river, and a few of the larger creeks have small 
bottom lands near their mouths. The bottoms connected with the Nava- 
sota, as well as those of the creeks, are comparatively unimportant, and 
but a very small part of them is under cultivation. 

In the valley of the Brazos these alluvial soils form a belt extending 
with some small intermissions along the whole western side of the county. 
This belt has a width from one-half to two and a half miles. Alluvial 
soils cover an extensive area in the southern portion of the county, and 
the whole of the region between the two Brazos rivers, and the areas are 
all more or less subject to overflow. 

The alluvial soils are altogether a brown clayey loam, changing occa- 
sionally into a stiff brown clay, and at other places to a brown sand or 
sandy loam. ‘They are usually easily worked and as a class very pro- 
ductive. 

ResipuaL Soits.—The greater portion of the county is occupied by a 
light gray sandy soil containing scattered deposits of gravel and coarse 
sands. These soils have been derived from the underlying lignitic de- 
posits, varying in thickness from one to two feet, and are a fine-grained 
sandy loam, with a considerable excess of sand, of dark grayish color, 
readily leaching to a pale yellowish gray or white. The subsoil is gen 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 55 


erally a brown or dark brown sandy clay. These soils are generally poor, 
although warm and early, and easily cultivated at any season of the year. 
They rapidly deteriorate under prolonged cultivation, and in a few years 
are said to lose over half of their productive power. These gray sands 
frequently form extensive prairie regions, the soils of which vary but 
slightly in quality and texture from those of the rest of the district. 
The soils belonging to this class are not much cultivated, and large areas 
are used for the production of hay and stockraising. 

In the northeastern portion of the county the soil found on Wheelock 
prairie is a dark brown or black sandy loam, varying in thickness from a 
few inches to over one foot. It is considerably spotted. In places it is 
extremely fertile, but at others the close proximity of a ferruginous sand- 
stone to the surface renders the area unavailable for farming purposes. 
This region is mostly used for grazing purposes. 


BUILDING STONES. 


The building stones are almost aitogether confined to the hard gray 
sandstones of the Wellborn beds. Small deposits of a coarse, soft, brown 
colored sandstone occur on the McMillan and Williams headright, about 
four miles west of Bryan, but these deposits are of comparatively little 
value. 

Tsolated patches of gray sandstone occur on the James Hope league, 
and on the Sam Davidson league much larger deposits occur. These 
have been quarried in the neighborhood of Wellborn and Minter Springs 
for building purposes. 

In the Rock prairie region, on the Stephenson and Robertson leagues, 
as well as on the N. Clampett headright, deposits of a close-grained, firm 
sandstone occur, which can be obtained in blocks of large size and admit 
of fine dressing. A quarry on the N. Clampett headright supplied the 
foundation stones for some of the Agricultural and Mechanical College 
buildings a number of years ago. 

Coarse gray calcareous sandstones of the Navasota beds occur in great 
quantities in the neighborhood of Barker’s prairie. They belong to the 
same grade as those in the region around Navasota, in Grimes county, 
and are very little used. 


CLAYS. 


The clays of the county are generally of little value. Brick earths 
occur at many places, but except at Bryan, no brick making is carried 
on. Three small yards are in operation in the town of Bryan, and so 
far as can be ascertained their whole output does not exceed 500,000 
to 750,000 bricks annually. 


56 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Peter Winter’s yard.—This is the most extensive yard in the city. The 
bricks are made on a New Quaker horse-power machine having a daily 
capacity of 10,000. The bricks are dried under cover and burned alto- 
gether by wood. This yard employs thirteen hands and represents a 
capital of $3000. The total output for the season 1892 was 600,000. No 
bricks are repressed. 

B. H. Knowles’ yard.—This is a small yard, employing only a few men. 
The bricks are hand made and dried on yard. ‘The capital invested does 
not exceed $1000. 

Lawrence Conway’s yard.—This is the smallest yard in the district, and 
is not worked regularly. ‘The bricks are hand made, and are dried on 
the yard, and the total output of 1892 was one kiln of about 100,000. 

The bricks made in these yards are dark brown in color and of only a 
medium hardness. ‘They may be classed as a fair grade of No. 2 brick. 

The other clays found in the county are of no economic value. 


BROWN COAL. 


Lignitic sands and clays occur through the whole of the northern half 
of the county, and thin seams or deposits of lignite occur at depths 
ranging from 30 to 60 feet. 

The brown coal deposits are usually found in digging wells, and no re- 
liable information can be obtained regarding their quality or thickness. 
In the northwestern part of the county a deposit crops out in the bank 
of the Brazos river near Neblet or Black shoals. It stretches across the 
river into Burleson county, and on the Brazos county side has a thickness 
of from 12 to 14 feet, as shown in the following section: 


ise Bluitdoam,.or Tiver,UepOsits ye fae peer e ee on eee ee 6 feet. 
De BLOW OLAV in. Ses SE Cos oir dos eens Sekt eet ee ee 3 feet. 
oe Leow eaud, with prayel near bOtLOM..... nse nets aes ieee cies 10 feet. 
4. Brown coal, shaley near top, but becoming compact at base of 

DEC ences teats Coad AG d oak see ee ee 12 to 14 feet. 
Be Lg ni tic. sand: site S68 de woe oe Sabie ele so de ee ee 


An analysis of the brown coal in this bed made by Dr. W. H. Mel- 
ville, chemist of the Survey, shows it to have the following composition: 





IVEGISUATC satel are xoeira es Sb ck ass 8 bw 6 Gees ss Ree te ee 18.33 per cent. 

WiORA ULL 3 DUCE iy Siar S c'ets «la aces ss wise ares oe0edein ere ee ee oe 52.62 per cent. 

FOAL ar DON se fees bate ss a's ws bs sen ead dees Pe ee 24.88 per cent. 

AB er a rn iltn a ee ss tee cel cee ees ots Sob ee 4.17 per cent. 
100.00 

SUIA TUDE ees sei mettre ee cals's cos e's 5 sa aie certs St, heen eee er .87 per cent. 


Of the Brazos river brown coals this deposit can probably be utilized 
the most economically. The coal can be readily obtained by stripping, 


BRAZOS COUNTY, 57 


and the transportation facilities are exceptionally good. The Hearne 
and Brazos Valley Railway passes within two miles, and the level tract of 
country between the river and the railway line would greatly facilitate 
the construction of a siding or branch to the mine, which might be built 
at the minimum cost allowed for this grade of work. At some stages of 
the river transportation can also be obtained by barges. 


TIMBER. 


Brazos county can scarcely be considered a timbered region. Of the 
519 square miles forming the complete area, not more than 175 contain 
any timber at all, and of this the largest part is found in the bottom 
lands and in narrow tracts skirting the banks of the water courses. Post 
oak and blackjack, with a thin scattering growth of hickory, occupy the 
wooded areas of the higher grounds, and elm, ash, pecan, pin oak, and 
cottonwood form the growth of the bottom and second bottom lands. 


WATER SUPPLY. 


The drainage of the county has an eastern and western fall—on the 
east to the Navasota river, and on the west to the Brazos. The greater 
portion belongs to the eastern area and is drained by Big Cedar, Sandy, 
Bowman, Brushy, Carter’s, and Jones’ creeks, with several smaller tribu- 
taries to these, and a few small streams flowing directly into the Nava- 
sota. On the west the drainage channels are the Little Brazos, Thomp- 
son, Turkey, White’s, and Hope’s creeks. ‘These streams contain very 
little water during the summer and dry seasons, and with the exception 
of the larger ones, provide but a scanty supply of water for any purpose 
whatever. 

Very few springs occur, but water can generally be obtained from wells 
at various depths. In the east water is obtained from the lignitic sands, 
at depths ranging from 60 to 90 feet. In the neighborhood of Bryan the 
water is usually reached at from 80 to 85 feet, and still larger and more 
enduring streams are found between 90 and 190. ‘The water for the 
Bryan water works is obtained from three wells, the largest of which 
pierces the 190 foot stream. In the southern portion of the county, 
water is generally obtained from comparatively shallow wells, none of 
which exceed fifty feet in depth. It is generally poor, being impreg- 
nated with sulphate of iron. Storage tanks and cisterns are very gen- 
erally resorted to for the accumulation and preservation of water for 
household and stock purposes. 

For agricultural purposes the rainfall is generally ample, the annual 


~ 


58 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


precipitation being about 42 inches, very evenly distributed throughout 
the year, the proportion being: * 


Winter months—December, January, February...............05. 11.95 inches. 
Spring months—=March, “April May coe ce settee ts ete ce vs eee 13.81 inches. 
Summer months—June, July, August.......... PEAS eg ay fs ed 6.15 inches. 
Fall months—September, October, November.................... 8.53 inches. 


2. ArtrrestAn Wetrs.—The census bulletin No. 193f places the total 
number of artesian wells in Brazos county at 15 and gives their depth as 
228 feet for shallow wells, and 470 for deep wells, and averages the 
depth at 330 feet. According to the same bulletin the average flow is four 
gallons per minute, and the average cost for each well $407. Since this 
bulletin was issued a number of other wells have been bored. 

These wells are all located in the limits of the Brazos river valley, all 
along the river from the mouth of the Little Brazos northward to the 
Robertson county line. The water is usually found in a quicksand, at 
depths ranging from 150 to 340 feet, but the greater number obtain their 
supply at between 210 and 240 feet. 

At Steele’s store, on the Brazos Valley Railway, a well obtained a fair 
flow of good water at 230 feet, but in order to increase the flow it was 
sunk to its present depth of 330 feet, where a much better and stronger 
stream was obtained; and at Stone City another well provides a similar 
stream at about the same depth. 

In going northward the wells appear to deepen in places, as at Mumford 
the water is found at depths ranging from 160 to 800 feet. ‘The stream 
flowing from wells between 160 and 230 feet is not strong, while that 
from greater depths is good and lasting, although slightly thermal. 

These wells are all made with a small bore, and obtain their water sup- 
ply from a fine blue sand which frequently chokes the pipes. | 

The chances of obtaining a good artesian water supply anywhere in the 
higher levels of the county are extremely problematical, and at best 
doubtful. A well bored at the Agricultural and Mechanical College, at 
about the same elevation as Bryan, to a depth of 1400 feet, found a large 
supply of water at 700 feet; but at this depth the water only rose to 
within 100 feet of the surface, and in the 240 foot well of the Bryan 
Water and Light Company the water only rises to within 140 feet of the 
surface. 

The elevation of the mouth of the well at the College is 350 feet above 
tide level, and that at Steele’s store 253 feet. The distance between 
these two points is approximately ten miles in a west by south direction, 
and assuming the dip of the underlying water-bearing sands to be approx- 
imately uniform at the rate of 30 feet per mile, or a little less than half 





* Report Chief Signal Officer for 1890, p. 729. 
+ Bulletin No. 193, Eleventh Census, 1890, p. 5, 


BRAZOS COUNTY. 59 


of the measured dip at Moseley’s ferry, the same flow of water obtained 
at Steele’s store at 330 feet should be found in the College well at 730 
feet approximately. This depth corresponds within about 30 feet of the 
depth at which the water reported from this well is obtained. This will 
be better understood from the following figures: 


LEV MLOTIEO WG cle OO LOD Gere oe tien cama tee Sohn cae renters un tte pin alecd eo bce 350 feet. 
MUIeUe UT Ola WEL hie Lee le a BtOT OM. | wh cw vs ul eae © Rie ee veers, feludocte 253 feet. 

PP LOLe CG TIOLeG AU LOM sc ectiberts cor. o% ale of Gor bees ons eee Sore sgh Cees cat Z 97 feet. 
Depthof well at: Steele sstere. 22 voy. 2. OF Roe oes eS ae e— tr 330 feet. 


Dip 75 feet per mile south 30 degrees east. Steele’s store is almost 
due west of the College; the dip is therefore a little less than half, or 
Raveolteet perme tor acdistance Of l0:milese,... ccs 6 neces os sine 5 cae 300 feet. 


Wuaverennon dsape LOUN Ab OMS O Ales tis Nest COR 9G ays ote cite wale aes eh 727 feet. 


The water found in the well at the College is apparently the same 
stream as that supplying the Brazos valley wells, and the fact of its not 
rising to the surface is due to the higher elevation. Reasoning from 
these premises, it may be inferred that unless an intermediate stream be 
met near Bryan, a condition extremely unlikely, no artesian water will 
be found, and the best that can be expected from the new 1200-foot well 
will be water approaching within 120 feet of the surface. 

3. NAviGasLe Streaus.—There are no navigable streams either within 
or adjacent to Brazos county. The two rivers, the Navasota and Brazos, 
are not navigable in this region. The Navasota is small and full of fallen 
timber and snags, and liable to extremely sudden rises and falls, and the 
Brazos is crossed by Hidalgo falls near the southern end of the county, 
and by a number of shoals at irregular distances from the falls north- 
ward. 

4. Mtnerav Sprincs.—Only two mineral springs or wells are known 
to exist. Manganic wells are a series of shallow wells about three miles 
northwest of Bryan, and the other, Boiling or Sulphur spring, occurs on 
the west bank of the Navasota river on the J. Gray headright. This last 
is a sulphur water, highly charged with sulphuretted hydrogen. Both of 
these localities are used as pleasure or health resorts, and have local 
reputations. 


GHAR Mate esi 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 
GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY. 


Geographically, Robertson is one of the great group of central Texas 
counties; and geologically, it forms part of the western extension of the 
high, flat-topped, iron ore-capped region of East Texas. The northern 
boundary is formed by Falls and Limestone counties, the Navasota river 
extends along the eastern, Brazos county lies across the southern, and the 
Brazos river forms the western boundary. The whole area is computed 
at 869 square miles. 

The topography is varied. ‘The northern portion is undulating, inter- 
spersed with small prairies; considerable areas of mesquite prairie occur 
along the western side, from near Bremond southward -to the neighbor- 
hood of Hearne; great stretches of bottom and second bottom lands 
spread out along the rivers; and the southeastern portion is almost alto- 
gether prairie. 

The high lands, with flat ore-capped hills occurring in the counties to 
the eastward, are represented in Robertson by a westward prolongation 
of high sandy and ferruginous sandstone ridges, which enter from Leon 
on the east and stretch in a general southwest direction across the county, 
at an ever decreasing elevation, until they end in a series of small, iso- 
lated bluffs along the eastern side of the Little Brazos river. Through- 
out these ridges the iron ore of the eastern counties is replaced by a 
coarse-grained conglomeritic ferruginous sandstone. 

The general elevation of the county is approximately 400 feet above 
sea level. Some portions reach an altitude of 450 and 470 feet, but the 
greater part lies much lower. The elevations of the principal points are: 


DOMED LCY 757. Syn le gia gonw oh ni ols we icing Ee’ Sei eibee wie wah gia Tepes Ree eT 306 feet. 
SS TLE sree eis boc bates slo, ve & wo eM mice cle wicletenate, Sq abeme ne In oe NE eat aaa 370 feet. 
WY TGGIOOKG...% oak vatiie ek os OF Se orale’ sso, he aos pel ae S ilin ech ave lh Gee ree 453 feet. 
PE CAING oes ore Ses aie o's acnle v2.40 sles e.le'b ois ans Warcd non ad ee oe nee 305 feet. 
BOTAN ANTE ee co eats te nn Ss alas hehe eRe ese eke ite eee Ae eae 404 feet. 
ATA Os eretiatere cis s1a!eierate in =o >. an Ee a Gate lele ole 0 a 60 6 6 ela, oe ik Ree EE ee, 314 feet. 
PBL CL aes elcren as of Seah e aix ee oi sv iw) 8 Se > SPACER eevee ee ee reer 337 feet. 
Bremoud?.. >. ae RE RASS Co no, Ge me 467 feet. 


PEN Ne Oe 2 oe ae PET eee EEE Peon kk oo rl Xe 470 feet. 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 61 


The drainage areas are unequally divided into an eastern, or Navasota 
river basin, and a western, or Brazos river basin, of which the Brazos is 
the larger. ‘The divide is formed by a narrow, irregular strip of higher 
land, not more than two miles wide at its greatest breadth, and frequently 
cut almost through by the headwaters of the various creeks. In places 
this divide is occupied by small prairies, from which the water drains in- 
discriminately towards either of the basins. The ridge, if it may be 
called such, extends in a general direction nearly north and south from 
near the southwest corner of Limestone county to the old San Antonio 
road a few miles west of Wheelock. 

The eastern section is drained by the Navasota river and its tributary 
creeks, viz., Steele’s; Red Oak; Duck, with its tributaries Stone Coal 
branch and Mineral creek; Camp, and the two Cedars. With the excep- 
tion of Welch’s bayou on the John and Joseph Welch leagues, no streams 
flow into the Brazos river proper, and the whole of the drainage of the 
western side of the county is collected from the different creeks by the 
Little Brazos. The creeks tributary to this stream are Walnut, with its 
subsidiary streams Birch, Middle, and South Walnuts; Sandy, Muddy, 
Pin Oak, Spring, and Campbell creeks, with Peach and Elm as branches 
of the last named. | 

With the exception of Duck and Big Cedar creeks on the east and 
south, and Walnut, Muddy, and Pin Oak on the west, the creeks of the 
county are all comparatively small, and dry throughout the greater por- 
tion of the year. These larger creeks maintain considerable streams of 
water at all times, except during a small part of the dryest season, and 
even then water can be found in large pools at different places in the 
creek beds. : 

The Little Brazos river marks the eastern extension of the bottom lands 
belonging to the Brazos drainage, and itself maintains a peculiar relation 
to the main river, in so far that for a distance of over forty miles it pur- 
sues an almost parallel course, from the northern side of Robertson 
county southward to its junction with the larger stream in Brazos county, 
about ten miles south of the line. The two channels are scarcely more 
than two miles apart through the whole of this distance, and nowhere do 
any streams intervene. The eastern bank of the Little Brazos is formed 
of a series of small bluffs, from twenty to twenty-five feet in height, 
which at places approach the river, and at others recede for one or two 
miles, but in either case are usually quite steep, and show more or less the 
general structure of the country to the east. 


*7. Geol, 


62 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


GENERAL GEOLOGY. 


The geological section of the county shows great stretches of recent 
alluvial deposits extending along the rivers and covering an area along 
the Brazos from two to four miles in width. Small patches of quaternary 
sands and gravels are found overlying the higher lands among the ridges. 
In the south and southeast the greensands and marls of the Moseley ferry 
and Wheelock sections predominate, and in the central and northern 
areas the Eocene lignitic and basal beds constitute the characteristic 
strata. 

The general section shows the following approximate thickness of the 
several deposits:. 


Recent: River alluvium, found in the flood plains of the rivers and 

creeks and some of the second bottom lands...............-.00- 30 to 50 feet. 
Quaternary: Gray and brown sands, brown conglomeritic sand- 

stones and siliceous gravel, found along the ridges in the central 

portion of the county, and also underlying th_- river alluvium of 

the Brazos valleys... sca. Be ciot 2. ee see een ee eee 20 to 50 feet. 
Tertiary: Altered glauconitic sandstones, brown and green fossil- 

iferous sands. green, blue, and dark gray fossiliferous clays, 

dark gray laminated sands and clays, with thin deposits of cal- 

careous and fossiliferous sandstones and brown coals, and a 

basal series of dark gray and green fossiliferous sands and clays, 

with fossiliferous calcareous bands and nodules................ 1400 feet. 


RECENT. 


A considerable extent of Recent deposits occurs along the western 
border of the county, comprising the region lying between the two rivers, 
the Brazos and the Little Brazos, and occupying an area from two to four 
miles in width, extending from Brazos county on the south to Falls on 
the north. The structure of these deposits, where undisturbed, is to a 
great extent laminated. Deposits of brown clays and sands, in lamine, 
having an irregular thickness and no perceptible dip, form the great bulk 
of these beds. In close proximity to the Brazos river the clays are 
scarcely represented, and the alluvium is made up chiefly of brown river 
silts or fine sands, having occasional small pockets or thin sheets of a 
coarse sand or fine gravel. 

The structure can best be seen in the sections obtainable at various 
places along the Brazos river. A section seen on the river six miles 
southwest of Calvert shows: 


MES TOW SAV ABOU 000 </o75 4 osc" se u's op vas Cae SE en 1 to 2 feet. 
2. Old humus, showing thin seams of brown sand ieeinated 
WiIENIENG DIACK BOL... gs <2 5.4 0 saak «6 emi Ae Eee coe 1¢ to 1 foot. 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 63 


SEE WARPSALL UO Sais dvi purse eaten teas Ralot ey tie Sun Bar coeur: 2 to 4 feet. 
4. Thin strata of humus, interlaminated with yellowish brown 

BAIN Fite eerie ain oeieets nee ae wth a tre a dbl Kae Bera Lk 6 Ble Ne 0p 5 feet. 
5. Black clayey humus.......... Rpt by OPE SE ORs ER ge 1 foot. 
Pm Eet WAR BUN Care eee cc et aa ew & sore wid eee TANS wnat foe ees eanely: 10 feet. 


At the Port Sullivan bridge another section shows: 


Lhe PRM RMR Ce eeestets? Sahl ant AAS te gels evens POR a ts BSN ase Oude wk wae 1 foot. 
Meee ALM WATTS Cae ame ators «irate ag etait crater uk Avec Mga sare wus tah tanh, soa 1 foot. 
ome ES ERY MED SHEL (hee ano. SN ee ee heen ch ofa, auc ak diel oho alot crazed ad's ne als. abiew'o cated > 3 feet. 
4. Dark humus, with interstratified or interlaminated deposits of 

WL WIR RaT Cl be se eines at one toc ak aed Ueiaaaas witte Ye arcs 8 feet. 
Or DAV DEOWINSAHC, settee e aera Pak er wate ties fs aly heat eels eens’ tis aah en 6 feet. 
Gos DIAOKPClay oe aes od: MME Gre PRR URE ds Palas vd APSR eS ole maleate os 10 feet. 
7. Dark blue clay, weathering yellow, containing great quantities of 

THEN VECONCFCLIOUSS COONVALCI: cats canaries ewe see eect ee kd oe oe ate 6 feet. 


Nos. 6 and 7 of this section do not appear to belong to the Recent de- 
posits, but to the upper or middle Quaternary. 

On the eastern side of this alluvial tract, a section near Dr. George 
McLendon’s gin shows the brown river sand overlying Quaternary 
gravel and lignitic deposits: 


dae OrOwImsane yy Tiver Critt,andi soll yn: cae cee ed eeale Goce ede 10 to 15 feet. 
Beh orrurinous and quartz CTAVe! 5 his cach ce hots oe eeee aus’ 2 feet. 
3. Thin bed of brown sandstone, containing plant remains..... 114 feet. 
Se ORV TATU INAUECE MIST IOLO BANG cect y sae cc etk a cc fee oo otras B 1eet, 
Dopp LO Wil CORL Sot e tan wrieln cities at che Potse os moe aed cals eee Ae oe Sm feeb; 


From these sections it would appear that the whole of the area is sub- 
ject to overflow, and that these overflows are very intermittent and fre- 
quently at such long intervals apart as to admit of the formation of a 
surface soil in many places between the successive flooding. 

These deposits nowhere exceed 35 or 40 feet in thickness, and the fauna 
is altogether of shells of species now living in the Brazos valley. 


QUATERNARY. 


The Quaternary deposits occupy but a limited area, and admit of a 
division into two periods—a lower and an upper. ‘The lower division is 
composed of gray and brown sands, brown conglomeritic sandstones, fer- 
ruginous and siliceous conglomerates, and ferruginous and quartzitic 
gravels. This division is found along the ridges in the central portion of 
the county, and underlying the upper clay division throughout the 
Brazos river valley. ‘The second, or upper division, consists of a bluish 
green clay, weathering yellow, with numerous limy concretions and con- 
taining recent shells, some species not now known to be living in the 
Brazos valley, and several not known to be living in the State. ‘This 
class of deposits occurs only in the valley of the Brazos river. 


64 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


1. Lower Deposits.—The deposits belonging to this class occur chiefly 
in the higher regions of the southern, central, and southwestern portions 
of the county. They also occur as thin scattered gravelly sheets, of a 
few inches or less in thickness, in places in the north central and western 
areas. Deposits of brown sand and gravel occur at various places among 
the bluffs along the east side of the Little Brazos, and gravels and con- 
glomerates belonging to these beds are also found underlying the allu- 
vium and bluish clays of the upper division everywhere in the district 
between the Little Brazos and Brazos rivers. 

Large quantities of gravel and brown sand occur in the neighborhood 
of Sutton. Eight and a half miles east of Hearne, on the Hearne and 
Wheelock road, a section of the highest portion of the ridge shows: 


12; Red.sand-and ferruginons oravele sss pecan eee 4 feet. 
2. Mottled red'and“eray sandyiclay ye... ce ele e ane ek eee ae ee 70 feet. 


Three miles nearer Hearne, on the same road, a section shows: 


1. Gray andy S01] tesa iss. eso bbe peels on det ee ee eee 6 inches. 
2.) TOW ISAD Cg atic di ncoyae lche wreleun sete era age oinseke sb) siete peer Riel tea eee 5 feet. 
3. Light gray almost white sand, with indurated laminz........... 2 feet. 
4, Irregular deposit of ferruginous sandstone ................... «- 116 feet. 
S Indurateddaminated brown sand .< 3) 62.00 bus Seri) eek ee 2 feet. 
6saPale pink sandy) CIAY F564 ec yeh s sy ee ge oe ee ie ee eee 12 feet. 


Throughout the region embraced by these sections heavy deposits of 
gray sand and boulders of ferruginous conglomerate cover the whole 
area; and one and a half miles south of Hearne blocks of conglomerate, 
many measuring 10x8x5 feet, made up of brown sand and siliceous peb- 
bles cemented together by a ferruginous matrix, form a ridge extending 
southward for over a mile. In the neighborhood of Hearne the conglom- 
erate gives place to a soft brown colored sandstone containing streaks or 
small pockets of coarse sand or fine gravelly conglomerate. The same 
grade of sandstone is also found stretching along the south bank of 
Muddy creek from the Denver James headright eastward. A section on 
this headright shows: 


SA TAV OL ee cis etic cs sea wisolt sae as eee Sa eet eee eee Scattering. 


sl 

De COOMSTOMONATE ES ic. tie is sys barb ob lee etre Sadeatieny tle eer eee ea 2 feet. 
3. Ferruginous sandstone, with pockets or streaks of conglomerate 4 feet. 
A SSSEC OCU RAIL FF ee eit eh a'borr ona, <0 4. § Vina wt Soe eve wea ab ete te We bs alate ee EE CR Ra 3 feet. 
5. Yellowish gray sand, with streaks and pockets of white sand... 40 feet. 


This sandstone ridge, with its capping of gravel, extends in a nearly 
north direction to the west side of Little Muddy creek, on the south side 
of the Henry Reed league, where the sandstones disappear under a heavy 
deposit of loose gray sand. 

South of the International and Great Northern Railway, in the neigh- 
borhood of Hearne, another ridge begins and extends northeast to Frank- 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 65 


lin. In going eastward along this ridge conglomerate and sandstones 
occur on the crests and sides of the hills, and in the vicinity of Franklin 
they are extensively developed. ‘The country to the south of the town, 
surrounding and forming Racetrack prairie, is occupied by a series of 
small rounded hills or ‘‘ knobs’’ covered with blovks of ferruginous con- 
glomerate. These conglomerates, with their associated brown sands, also 
appear close to the town, three miles northwest of Franklin, on the Cal- 
vert road, and throughout the surrounding area as far west as Little 
Muddy creek. The country is broken and irregular, and covered with a 
deep bed of loose gray sand, through and among which boulders of fer- 
riginous sandstones and conglomerates appear plentifully. A section on 
the east side of Little Muddy creek shows: 


len -Brown. ferruginous, sands and gxvavelirs «5 .sjit yao e's ol oa eve byagere'e eure hadi 2 eet. 
2. Brown laminated sands and soft sandstones ..............2 eee eees 114 feet. 
Serra y HatlinAced JUICACCOUS. BANOS. owu)..c as ce each cWe ok who ween + Chas 8 . feet. 


The gravels of this age spread over the lower lands throughout the 
central and northern portions of the county, but generally occur only in 
thin sheets of not more than a few inches in thickness, and accompanied 
with deposits of brown and yellow sand. A section near mile post 124 
on the Houston and Texas Central Railway shows: 


APMIS ECW EM S QING Lee acters cris deca a MS rade tim & dis'a’yuetal sere a eee 1s to 3 feet. 
2, Fine gravel, with streaks of coarser gravel and occasional small 

nodules, changing to a coarse brown sand with streaks of 

Wneeravel neste: POCO MAs Niele aii 3 48S. oe le. Cokie 5 to 7 feet. 
Pom Later DUG MAIL VST LC Yorn Ain ap ta et ece ako ome ccd = nase wast ys ake l¢ to 1 foot. 


Near mile post 134, on the same road, another section shows a series of 
brown sands and gravels as follows: 


ee LAIMStratusOL Oro Wi sand. and, Oraveli.c i. cor siamese le cae « 1g foot. 
2. Light brown sand. (This bed thickens toward the south, and 
replaces a brown gravelly sand 400 feet from the south end of 


BUG CULES ae eee. eee a eae aie tLe ar sal oe Matnimnra ne edt e 1 to 4 feet. 
3. Brown gravelly sand, 8 feet thick at the north end and thinning 

CiteOULO WAL S sice' aryauie ates Soon nin'e Pateuls sect shay ashanti deve ae 1 to 8 feet. 
4, Gravel. Wedge shaped deposit, heaviest at south end, lying 

near center of the cutting, and 50 feet in length............. 1s to 2 feet» 
Gmeecawi eravelly sand; SAMeG ASIN Oe dus ve w. sss erica ae cee. | os 0 to 3 feet. 


These sections may be duplicated in many other portions of the county. 

Gravels and conglomerates occur at many places in the bluffs along the 
banks of the Brazos river. They underlie the brown river alluvium and 
bluish limy clays of the succeeding deposits. The conglomerates are 
mostly siliceous, formed of pebbles of quartz, silicified wood, and lime- 
stone, with great quantities of nodules of a white calcareous clay, ce- 
mented together by a silicate of lime. They contain numbers of worn 


66 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Cretaceous shells, shark teeth, and occasional vertebrate remains, mostly of 
the Equus family. A section at Curley shoals, six miles west of Calvert, 
shows: 


1. “Brown river'silt and Sands. i2 sci. ease ace ee eee einen es cere eee 5 to 10 feet. 
2. eGonvlomerate,; (2756 a. 55 26 one. ent ae we tee Oath eiceln oe eee eee ere 4to 6 feet. 
3: Palelue Clayc. Jsatukowses sh yesh da biiee sera an is heen imine 1 foot. 
4. Micaceous bliesands ..0 ise .cs sees + pian t meeaied piace ane e een eee 3 feet. 
5 Gray calcareous sandstone... .2sc cb sence s ERs eee eee 4 feet. 
6. Grayisn. bluersand 23 vaccscas aseaee natin ace shake aes eee een 2 feet. 
4, VGPSY BANASLONC SOVOL. oi." ra eo ae gis a eh ah anne uces sarees otal 2 feet. 


At this point the shoals are formed by a heavy ledge of gray sandstone 
(No. 7 of section). The conglomerate is made up chiefly of siliceous 
pebbles and blocks of limestone from the Cretaceous beds found farther 
up the river; occasional nodules of iron, and great quantities of worn 
Cretaceous fossils of the Gryphea vesicularis type, the whole cemented into 
a solid mass by a silicate of lime. Fragments of the tibia of a horse were 
found imbedded in one of the larger blocks, and considerable quantities 
of nodules of calcareous clay are scattered through the whole mass. 

2. Uprrrer Diviston.—The upper division of the Quaternary deposits 
was Only observed in the Brazos river valley, and comprises a series of 
deposits of bluish green clay, weathering yellow, with numerous limy con- 
cretions containing shells of recent species and species not now known 
to be living in the Brazos drainage area, and several, such as the Limnea 
refleca, Say, and Pomatiopsis lapidaria, Say, which are not known to be 
living in the State. The latter occurs in the Post Pliocene of the Missis- 
sippi river bluffs. * 

The deposits belonging to this division have been noticed at several 
localities in the Brazos river valley, from the south side of Brazos county 
northward to near the Falls county line. They have the peculiarity of 
appearing in small embayments, on both sides of the river, and gener- 
ally in alternate positions, indicating that at the time of their deposition 
the river, although approximating its present position, was flowing 
through a channel widely differing in its curves. These clays appear 
overlying the gravels in every case where the two have been found asso- 
ciated, whether cut through by wells or in the river bluffs where the 
channel has been cut deep enough to expose the underlying deposits. 
The position of these deposits is seen in the following section of the bluff 
along the east side of the Brazos at Port Sullivan shoals: 


* Of one of these shells, Mr. J. A. Singley, to whom they were referred, says 
the Pomatiopsis lapidaria, Say, has a distribution from Georgia to New York, 
Missouri to Michigan, Post Pliocene of the Mississippi river bluffs. No recent 
record in Texas or adjoining States, and this I think establishes the fact that 
the clay from which it is derived is Quaternary. 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 67 


PARLE OMGIY BELLS He. sles Weod Wie le Pee Cele gid Ste «ele iis Klis We ole Hk hie ee 1 foot. 
2. Laminated chocolate colored and yellow stratified sandy clay, 

RDU SLA teh thle RRO eee aginee irs tO See Oats Oe Ol ohg faictd’s ens ab ay 2 feet. 
3. Dark brown or chocolate colored sandy clay..........cecseseee 8 to 10 feet. 
4, Dark bluish gray sandy clay. weathering yellow and containing 

fragments of bone and shells of recent species and others .... 10 feet. 
5. Indurations of sand and soft sandstones in the form of boulders. 1 to 2 feet. 
WEMSBSVGL RUE e Celie tnt Lhe cts ad os hh ae tal yeh ew mand iba ier dein 1 foot. 
7. Laminated dark greenish black sand to water.................. 2 feet 


The bone fragments found in No. 4 are mostly in such a comminuted 
condition as to be unrecognizable. In one instance, however, we ob- 
tained a lower jaw and teeth of a horse almost entire. 


TERTIARY. 


The Tertiary deposits of Robertson county belong altogether to the 
Eocene division of that period, and represent three distinct stages of that 
group, and may be divided as follows: 




















Series. Division, ae ven Characteristic Strata. 
( (Marine. >... 600 |Fossiliferous greensands, marls, and fossiliferous 
clays. 
Eocene. < |Lignitic ...' 550 /Lignites and brown coals. 
ae beds..| 250 |Fossiliferous clays and sands and limestones: 
| calcareous sandstones. 


Areally, these deposits cover the whole of the county. The basal beds 
occupy a small territory in the northwest corner, the lgnitic deposits 
stretch across the county, in the form of a wide band from eight to 
twelve miles in width, and the upper or marine fossiliferous sands cover 
about one-half of the county. The dip of the beds is in a general direc- 
tion of south 20 to 30 degrees east, and at varying angles, ranging from 
0 to 1 degree. 

Basa Beps.—The deposits assigned to this division occupy but a very 
small areal extent in the northwestern portion of the county. The terri- 
tory is generally level, and so covered with surface deposits of gray sand 
and river alluvium that few exposures of the underlying beds can be 
seen anywhere. ) 

These beds differ in lithological character from the clays at Wills Point. 
In this locality the deposits are not so regularly laminated, and contain a 
much greater proportion of sand and sandy strata, and are also more fos- 
siliferous. The basal beds as represented at Wills Point consist of yellow 
laminated clays, with thin partings of yellow sand, containing occasional 
boulders of siliceous limestone; massive bedded clay, showing no signs of 
lamination; and dark blue laminated much jointed clay, with thin sandy 


68 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


partings, containing occasional small bivalve shells, and showing a heavy 
bed of white limestone containing great quantities of fossil casts.* The . 
basal beds as represented in Robertson county comprise a series of thinly 
stratified yellowish gray sands, and grayish blue laminated clays and 
sands, with broken strata of grayish blue fossiliferous siliceous limestone, 
and occasional rounded and flattened boulders of gray calcareous sand- 
stone. The blue siliceous fossiliferous limestone possibly represents the 
same horizon as the white limestone found at Elmo and Rocky Cedar and 
Kemp, in Kaufman county, and at Tehuacana, in Limestone county. The 
dip of the beds is toward the southeast, and very gentle and undulating. 
In places they present long stretches of almost horizontal strata, suddenly 
terminating in a downward flexing of the beds, which, however, continues 
for only a short distance, when the practically horizontal bedding is 
again resumed. ‘The following sections seen on the western side of the 
Brazos river will show the general structure of these deposits: 

I. Section on the northeast corner of the Byrum Wickson league, 
Milam county: 


1. Ver AVION ne cs te eee 4 dNG Rese ce UNI A E ER ee 4 feet. 
2 Cong lomergte. tse aie nes “nip Wad, ed oe ee MR eee ae ae 2 feet. 
3.-.Coarse conglomerate, with Douldere..o 2. t.3e eee ee ee 114 to 2 feet. 
4, Thinly stratified yellowish gray clay, sand, and blue clay, with 
occasional rounded boulders of calcareous sandstone........ 10 feet. 
5. Blue Taminated: clay, fossiliferous v.06 .5. 72. wae wee oaltae ates 4 feet. 
6. Thin bed of nodules and hard fossiliferous limestone......... 1 foot. 
7. Thinly laminated yellowish gray clay and sand.............. 3 feet. 
S. oDINish Pray and. Vasa os aka ck ie citi ar oek eae ee ee ee 1 foot. 
9. Thinly laminated dark blue clay and sand................-.. 6 feet. 
10. Dark blue laminated and fossiliferous clay................... 2 feet. 


II. Section on C. Cribbs league, between two and three miles north 
of No. 1: 


1. spurface soil, brown,sand and /oravel yk. voc. cea ek dee eee 2 feet. 
BOL OUOW-GISY. see as ROTO NEES OT LO ty ar ea Soe A 4 feet. 
3. Ledge of fossiliferous siliceous limestone...................05: 2 feet. 
Aa GUOW Clay, SAIC. BEND. D phos ane t Corte ec counts ae nee eewencre 5 feet. 
BF copmne tag WN DAB: ada sae vine cul here aan eae Ee eee ee ee eee 2 feet. 
6. Dark blue thinly stratified clay, showing lines of lamination on 

weathering sandijointeds.1. 0 wis fino, Sah wets tne ne eee 30 to 35 feet. 


The dip is very gentle towards the southeast, and in places along the 
bluff shows the undulations referred to. 

Going still further north into Falls county, the base of these beds is 
seen in contact with the underlying Cretaceous deposits in section No. 
III, on the southeast corner of the Josiah Hogan league: 





*Penrose, First Annual Report Geol. Survey of Texas, pp. 19-21. Kennedy, 
Third Annual Report Geol. Survey of Texas, pp. 48-49. 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. | 69 


bo 


SUL SRV Ol men NR on oe Paes Litt cou Use aie nla ic ped tebe sicko a Hie eB rie 1 foot. 
3. Blue clay and sand, breaking into nodules and conchoidal pieces, 
weathering to a grayish yellow, and containing in the upper half 
Calyptrophorus velatus, Conrad, Cucullwa macrodonta, Whitfield, Os- 
trea pulaskiensis, Harris, and others; and Cardita alticostata, Con- 
rad, Pleurotoma, sp., Yoldia, sp., and Crassatelia, sp., in lower two 


BHU ase LCObr ce ue oe cca ae ete er an Oat er ho ant. gars is ta 5 feet. 
Pe POLSILIOT AL DIO CA tee Th de ec hs ial ated was aleX was tag ote ce ep 1 foot. 
5. Massive blue clay, with baculites and other fossils.................. 14 feet. 


Lienitic Beps.—Succeeding the basal beds comes a series of interlami- 
nated, interstratified, and massive dark gray and dark blue sands and 
lignites, interstratified with beds of dark bluish gray calcareous and 
siliceous sandstones and brown fossiliferous sandstones, the blue and 
bluish gray sands predominating. In the eastern portion of the county 
a small section on Mineral creek shows an exposure of the blue and red 
thinly stratified or laminated sands and sandy clays belonging to the 
(Queen City beds of thisseries. In the west these beds do not appear in 
any of the sections seen. 

The beds belonging to this division form a continuation of the great . 
lignitic beds lying near the base of the Eocene in this State, and stretch- 
ing from the Arkansas and Louisiana line southwestward across Texas. 
They enter Robertson county from Limestone on the north and Leon 
on the east, and extend in a general south by west direction to the Brazos 
river on the western side. 

The lignitic sands, sandstones, and clays, with their associated beds of 
brown coal and lignite, cover an area approximating 340 square miles, 
or one-third of the entire area of the county. 

A line drawn from near the mouth of Pond creek in a northerly direc- 
tion through Hammond, Wooten Wells, and Bremond, or almost parallel 
to the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, will approximate 
the northern boundary of these beds. Toward the south they pass under 
the succeeding beds of the Marine Eocene along the south side of Muddy 
ereek, and on Mineral creek about four miles east of Franklin. Along 
the southern margin few exposures of the contact can be seen, owing to 
the whole of that area being more or less covered by Quaternary brown 
sands and gravels. This boundary may be drawn approximately from 
the Navasota river, near the crossing of the International and Great 
Northern Railway, westward to Mineral creek, and thence to Owensville; 
thence in a general west by south course to Muddy creek, and then along 
the north side of that stream to the Brazos river. 

The region underlaid by these beds is generally level or slightly rolling, 
and is more or less covered with a scanty growth of timber. Numerous 


* Determinations by G. D. Harris. 


70 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


small prairies, such as Tidwell, Beck, Head, Heard, Bald, and others of 
smaller extent, occur throughout the northern and central portions of 
the region. Mesquite prairies cover the greater portion of the western 
side of the area from Bremond southward. 

Several large creeks traverse the country underlaid by these deposits, 
having generally broad, shallow bottoms, with few or no exposures show- 
ing the deeper or underlying deposits. 

The Brazos river crosses this region in a general course from north- 
west to southeast, and in many places the banks form steep, almost pre- 
cipitous, bluffs. In these the structure and general sequence of the beds 
forming the lignitic group can best be seen and studied. 

Beginning at the south side of the field, the highest beds seen are those 
exposed at the base of the section shown near Bee shoals. The next 
exposure of any value is that at Calvert Bluff, on the Jesse Webb league. 

At this place the bank of the river forms a bluff extending along the 
east side for 700 or 800 yards, and shows a section of: 


Le Brown: loamy “Clayices 2a 2 ote ee eee oe ae ee ee ee eee 4 feet. 
2, Light brown Sand’... cane oes wie elmer es ates ae oe ecm, eens 7 JeCians 
3. Brown sand and oravel. tea. sess ee ee are ee eee 114 feet. 
A. Gray sander ces sh tes vont | awe eae. Sea eae eae 0 to 3 feet. 
Boe Brown Coal, siactises hia sae Goth. eet eee bee eee eee 12 feet. 
6. , Dark .bive Clay isd. oh cece be See ae S Ronee eee are 3 feet. 
As BLOW DCO AL qo cia vis ie otek Bae sett ates ai bos betcbake tres nerfs a Gree eee eee 3 feet. 
8. Dark bite Clay scincwidaws &: Pa ston bp ieee sau otter es a eee 6 feet. 
9.” BrOWD ‘COaL 7. 26-4's sia os ails Lew akece hie aueeine Silks alate epee ete eed 3 to 4 feet. 
10, "Dark crayish blue Sand sh wh te. ates oe cote hoes ten ea eee Mee eat 15 feet. 
“Il. Thin stratum of calcareousrsandstone:. c.. Acie), ee ee Re 1g foot. 
12. Dark cray-sand similar to NO wiGsi sink. toi pum ae ee ae 2 feet. 
13. 2Brown coal. poor-qualiby =. 3 oe ee eee 2 to 6 inches. 
14. “Dark*yray sand,’ similarite NO;i0, ok wen + ae ee ee 8 feet. 
15: Gray Calcareous'sandstonen. .o..te. 0 c.56 = sk ries ae et eae 1 foot. 
16. Dark bluish gray sand, with quantities of iron pyrites ...... 8 feet. 


17. Boulders of clay ironstone and gray calcareous sandstones, 
with nodules of iron and thin seams of ferruginous sand- 


stones with fossil leaves .......... Weis Lek see pap ek 2 feet. 
18. Gray sandstone, weathered and eroded into an irregular cap- 

PINS COVETINS IN O04 Oe. To ote tartans Ge arin el 2 ee err 116 feet. 
19. Laminated bluish gray sand to water at Herndon shoals..... 2 feet. 


This section extends to within a mile of the upper portion of the next 
section at Bee shoals, and between the two a section on the west or Milam 
county side of the river shows: 


LPePESTOW TL YROUE Se oe cieeatio on ah 8 2 a he ce Say a eek ee ates Fa tae ee ne eee ee 1 foot. 
MOY CLOW BANC Y OLAV ais ie ils» BU'Wic ick Wa oa Geel dhe tes teste Lee RTE ters ie 12 feet. 
3. Pale blue sandy clay, with limy concretions.................-.-.06. 8 feet. 
4 SABE OW DACOR sas pele ris o0s.) 5 oa orm 0. wie w vie aueceyhinra eee ob Mee epee eo ciao 3 feet. 
Bae DOU LO Ge eee ieee aca isc Salo So. 90's bien ce ee Br is At PEE SEO 1 foot 


ROBERTSON COUNTY, 71 


ERIC CLA e AN We A ag a ls Oo ee op eh en eh i EO 2 feet. 
7. Brown coal at foot of Bee shoals, extending 20 feet into the river... 4 feet. 


This No. 7 is apparently the same as the thin seam of lignite, No. 5 of 
of the Bee shoals section, as all the lignites in this region show a tendency 
to thicken towards the south. 

Section at Bee shoals, close to Black’s bridge across the Brazos river, 
on the Calvert and Cameron road: 


PPSEONVIGIORNE lA a ect isa ck ek s SRP SRO ae IO eae 10 feet. 
BI GTAVOL) nates ace Bee Re Re ecco Gace a WS REO Hee Hea oho wl ee 1 foot. 
SMC C SP Vem eeil CREE ets ear ceyerhe Mee SPE in of scai da wel een ark nas ee oes 5 feet. 
4, Black or dark blue clay, jointed and broken into cuboidal 
POC Grate archers nteee eee ere ee ad a Aer y wake Gruen ae ds VO 1 foot. 
5. Broken seams of brown coal, running out 300 feet from foot 
CGO Le porate he OCR ore nan als Sats as cake wan ain naeta de we ees 6 inches. 
em sae ke Clay. SUINAT COUNO. 44, 2ou oc cuiee Cues <5 caaws Seen Sa ee 5 feet. 
7. Pavement of sandstone, brown on outside and dark bluish 
Ea VeOl IN Sil Gatch ates ay Paes Sere an UN ee eee wise ce 114 to 6 feet. 
8. Clay similar to No. 4 to water, running 100 feet up the river 4 feet. 
9. Thin stratum of gray calcareous sandstone................ 4 to 6 inches. 
10. Gray sand, laminated, and containing thin layers of dark 
SL Vrs eee ete ee oor Pe Ee Melb ais es VOL UE AN ens 10 feet. 
11. Bed of rounded, water-worn boulders, containing streaks of 
PAULL C titre teas po er eae tee we dial eoneecaetd Weil ea ets 1 foot. 
Pear ae enc ew losl. DMTibCSiewe a: ctv srqs Ae fk a el mk caiman tle ole Guale 0 to 5 feet. 


These shoals are about 400 feet long, and the beds dip southeast at an 
angle of 1 to 3 degrees. 

Half a mile further north the river crosses another series of shoals 
known as Cannon Ball shoals. At this place the bluff overlooking the 
river shows a series of gray sands, in beds from 5 to 15 feet in thickness, 
and interstratified with thin seams of calcareous sandstones, from six 
inches to one foot thick. 

Going east from the river, such sections as can be obtained from cut- 
tings and well borings show practically the same succession of beds as are 
exposed in the bluffs along the river. 

A well bored on the E. D. Peters plantation, five miles southwest of 
Calvert, and between the two rivers, shows the following section: 


Memaray ich UIOW!l SOll, SUDSOLL. «cna ycew erties Teens ents Coss ds Opt 10 feet. 
PLOW SAN Sea elctd feat a Vid'ols du Ser AT One Pte ae aia the ote tela he ate date 10 feet. 
MCR VAN ENG. OS ai ru! Sea a ote ante cctats ieee aed ee eRe he ake otal e Sa 2aeA 22 feet. 
Peers tUisly OTAY SHOON, «is aisns's sc ain ee «fia nise eee ted cities OE AS VO Hei sts 's 4 feet. 
PEST ALVU IT COSTS cele bo ccc cn doce a Oa are ta OU EMER RM es «colds ao es 5 feet. 
PEPENOSTCOUS SANUSLOILOM, nue oa cin ee tree ee ee ce Cenk ee ee a 1 foot 
Peer He COR LS 6552s Lt ke SOR ae cea eens Gee Sa Ok 8 a 4 feet. 
8. Bluish gray sand, and seams of calcareous sandstone and clay, the 
sandstones in the strata of about 10 feet. tO. gic e cet eee ein 99 feet. 


SPE CRNUASCOCT S68) 202225 bo 2 ej Clee ek Re OE Bo 83.5 ba oo eee ee we 4 feet. 


72 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


10) 7Same BS NOMS 2 rica Swe eo aac ae lcs Ma ah te deca ey ica ee ee a ee 61 feet. 
1h. Brown Coal he i ore ah ore, eee eee Ae eee ee 18 feet. 
12S SAIN BS IN Os 6 hee nos sk ccs eee. copes te ceette te tare ole eek ea eee ena 50 feet. 


Another well bored at Gibson’s gin, near Calvert, shows a section of: 


1. ‘Surface soil and-oray and brown sali, wou cut eae enor cetera 25 feet. 
2. Alternate strata of blue clay and calcareous sandstone.......... 42 feet. 
SU DEOWD Oa]. 200. oa lie oe Uae OR aise ees Ce ate Smee he te Sea ee Re 2 feet. 
4. Bluish gray sand, blue clays and calcareous sandstones......... 46 feet. 
5. BIO WN Coal. 250 he ea stce c sae le sie ceees oelabcns amma ee Nahas os rie ean 116 feet. 
6. DIUISICTAy SANG (\.Gi7 . a witalala iin 4 Salem eatin U lely Seeker ahs ae ee 2316 feet. 
1 STO WH ICOBIO 5 oe or sele ea ies tiene ten ae el Oe ae 5 feet. 
S. blue sands an dieandstonesinw eqn: steer wer uah eee in eee ee 55 feet. 
9. Brown coals to. ho eae, oe a es ey ek ee ee See 2 feet. 
Os 46d Clay sien aoe) 5 esc ciehenrenie aia oe nae Richens eeaiaa as fete 8 feet. 
11. Bluish gray calcerous sandstones and blue clay................. 22. feet, 
12. Brow COal sho'irt.ce ea teem ate lee oes ease Ve rete re eee a Cen, 
TB." JBL SAD S ne ek a ra ed eral nee Ca AR Ne ae moe eee a ee 76 feet. 
1453S BPO Wn COA! F6 leon ke hm irte ait ietaiabee ghee fe ete man RR oe ee 10 feet. 
15. Blue sand, with thin seams of calcareous sandstone............. 265 ~— feet. 


Four miles north of Calvert, at Mr. W. Talbot’s house, a well shows a 
section of: 


1, Dark ‘gray sandy ‘sorl"andsupeoil. fe st ek i ee eee 216 feet. 
2) (Garay jOlmtclay, SFite cn cag fale Cae Ponte oe nal gk ee ee ee eee eee 10” “feet. 
D MaPAY Sanu in weg uate CnmGhaay Be Sead. ae ae eee ie eee, Seen ne 2 feet. 
A, WOME Clay Bel BAN os Ge wore a a epee tels oe eno es ke a ee S7 Tieet. 
5; Brown sand, qwith nodules of iron. .occe 1,6 o ke eee ee ee 10‘ feet. 
6s, Nodular Tromore iis te 2. Se rics i Oy ee eee 4 feet. 


At Jericho church, about one and a half miles southwest of this place, 
a well 80 feet deep passes through blue sand with a thin seam of brown 
coal near the bottom. 

On Beck’s prairie, six miles north of Calvert, a section shown in a 
small creek gives: 


Le cGTay £andy SOL. eo ate ws eG au tas wa eee ae ee Ceti ee *. Mec due dina meals caer 1 foot. 
De eVLOLELON: GANG hes. gous eoy bE os able we ees o Bee ee ee ee eee 4 feet. 
FAB AIG OLIFE BAG obr cae lh, HOG ic eek ote eee he ee a ate ce ee arte Rc He nae eee 2 feet 


On this prairie wells bored to the depth of 75 to 80 feet pass through 
three seams or beds of brown coal, and a section on Wilson’s creek, near 
the center of the William Fullerton league, shows: 


1. Brownish gray sand, with gravel and nodules of ferruginous 


sandstone, seen on hill near Mr. Wilson's house................ 50 feet. 
DME ELITR BRATLULY (CLAVE, cs aye ete ws sists sae % 5-cae ae Sus Sees ee eee ee 4 feet. 
SSIES an Ta hg ee ens cl Sc. oni x dpm bb, 2he) Sea & oe allo ae le Eee a ee eres 4 to 6 feet. 
4 arkiordy mana Lor clayey Sand «.,..4s sm s.s,0's era ged dele eee aia 6 to 7 feet. 
Bs SP STO MICO Rae eine le ste sis 86 =. 5 wie asd Sin arcs Cuctee Re eee a ee ene Se 3 feet. 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 73 


In the Headville region the lignite deposits come close to the surface, 
and are exposed in many of the small creeks and washouts. 
At Franklin a well 1200 feet deep shows a section of: 


Uo ALAS O RY ie Sle Fa ted il Ri Atel He eM Ae aba eh le ek nh ga 72 feet. 
2. Blue sandy clay and sandstones, interstratified..................6. 40 feet. 
8. Gray sand and sandstones, interstratified...... 0.0.0 cece eee eee 101 feet. 
PRTC LG Reale We ELIE WALGI Wet an cum cetaceans rites are cers weg oie sete wane 2 feet. 


5. Blue sands and sandstones, interstratified, sandstone strata about 2 

feet thick, but not regular, and only occurring at wide intervals.. 855 feet. 
creeds Muicsatitne WILDE WALOLS voc. urate 3 easiest siete sims ew es oh ne aes ee 1 foot. 
LYALL CRE ALINC RS cle rete te eet emer ee en yee ries wale han acl eraie aie wes tee 137 feet. 


MARINE BEDS. 


Lying to the southward, and succeeding the lignitic sands and clays of 
the last division, there is an extensive series of brown, yellow, green, 
and dark clays, sands, and marls. These constitute the division known 
as the Marine Eocene beds, and are a continuation of the great series of 
similar beds which pass from the east through Cherokee, Houston, and 
Leon counties, and extend across the Brazos river into Burleson and other 
counties lying west of Robertson, with a southern extension into Brazos 
county. They cover an area of approximately 450 square miles, and 
occupy the whole of the southern half of the county. 

The southern border of the lignite group already described forms the 
northern border of the marine series. 

The country occupied by the marine beds is broken and hilly, and very 
generally heavily timbered with blackjack, post oak, other oaks, and 
hickory, except in the southeastern portion, where extensive tracts of 
prairie and rolling country appear. Few creeks pass through the region, 
and these have steep-sided channels with narrow bottoms. 

The general sequence and texture of the beds can best be seen in the 
following sections, extending from the base to the top of the series, as far 
as exposed in Robertson county. 

A section at the International Railway bridge across the Brazos river 


shows: 

1. Yellow sandy clay, with nodules of lime....................... 20 feet. 
2. Brown sandstone, interstratified with brown sand.............. 4 to 6 feet. 
3. Dark green, almost black, micaceous unfossiliferous sand....... 5 feet. 
feintnly laminated) darkeorcerm mands cc] atin Saks, si onl ty 2 5.9 oo 6 feet. 
5. Irregular belt of ferruginous sandstone......... re UM 9) 2 etch lg to 1 foot. 
6G.) Dark: green, almost black, sand, to water... 2. 020. ate 3 feet. 


On the south side of Muddy creek a ridge of altered glauconitic sand- 
stone, containing nodules of iron ore, extends from near the Houston 
and Texas Central Railway westward for over half a mile, and ends in a 


74 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


bluff about 50 feet high. It is nonfossiliferous so far as known. The 
next exposure occurs on Mineral creek, about four miles north of Frank- 
lin, where the section shows: 


ly (Orig BUrtace wand. . cs. ash ona ee ete Leis wide Et ies Foes c ceeeheitees 3. feet. 
2, Dark gray sand and sandy clay, with gravel. ..............s0s0,+: 216 feet. 
See TAY SAN FCs Wr eioesin wars aot Sask toto aban ca anak a) ee re 2 sfeets 
4. Brown sandstone, containing casts of fossils................eeeeees 1 foot. 
5. Thinly stratified or interlaminated blue and red sand and clay..... 1 foot. 


These sections occur at the base of the series, and with the exception 
of the thin bed at Mineral creek, are unfossiliferous. 

Throughout the southern portion of the area the sections show a series 
of altered and unaltered greensands, sandy clays and sands, all highly 
fossiliferous. In the southwestern portion of the area the western con- 
tinuation of these beds is shown at Moseley’s ferry, and six miles north, 
at Collier’s ferry, a bluff on the west or Burleson county side of the 
Brazos river shows: 


1.-:Brown sand’ i542 8 «pod boas tek kes Oh ee eee eer eee 10 feet. 
2.\Indurated brown altered Preensancd. ..13+seee ee eee 8 inches. 
3. Brownish green altered greensand, containing numerous 

Fossils 2 i kere et Ee a Bice © cine ke ee ee 4to 6 feet. 
4. 4Grayish greensand,qwith £0ssiis. fe ees tae one Deere ee 10 to 15 feet. 
5. Dark blue Jaminated fossiliferous clay .......:......0.-+.. 6 to 8 feet. 
6. Brown sCOal iD TiVOr sgn spre iin oe 4 ole Ra ee oe ce ee 4 feet. 


This bluff is nearly 400 yards in length and over 30 feet high, and the 
bed dips slightly toward the southeast. 

The fossils occurring in these beds belong mostly to the families of 
Pecten and Ostrea. 

Six miles east, in the neighborhood of Benchley, the sections shown 
along the various creeks all show exposures of fossiliferous greensands, 
and at Sutton, four miles north, a cutting on the Houston and Texas 
Central Railway shows a section of: 

1. Brown sand and eravel iyi. vc fukn s ye tee a | ee eee on ee ee eee 2 feet. 


2.) Altered-fossiliferous sandstone.tc 22k se. ole is he ee ee 8 inches. 
5. OSsilerous STEENSAND 4.2 7s ae sf She ooo sew ne re aie has ee ee 


Near the east side of the Robert Henry league, at the ‘‘Old Factory 
place,’’ a section on Pin Oak creek shows: 


17a broken SerrucinOUs Maverial.! ... ¢ soos. de oman He cen eile abe eee 1 foot. 
SeeVieloO wan DYOWIM SAUCY CIAY & .', :\. 5 ond utes) oink 4 eee eae 4 feet. 
3. Brown altered greensand, containing oysters and other fossils, 

PAROSELY STOR OM ca w1e his. o-s cis o's syle aon a elB ae ate Gieiee UN ee 10 inches. 
4, Brown sand, with casts of fossils, to creek .................0.... 10 feet. 


Near the head of Campbell’s creek, on the Stephen Gafford and James 
Dunn leagues, the western extension of the Wheelock prairie becomes 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 15 


rolling and broken. This area presents a series of laminated sands and 
clays, with occasional beds of fossiliferous sandstone. A section of this 
prairie shows: : 


Pee CRICHTON eer re Pe GN ene, sa Sate who ou 88k ok Coke ew en es 1 to 4 feet. 

mes COWL aati Ch es VOELID: DIENT WS ULEULIC BY ott rotated olka Cet ole Aa) ola ahs Ba ure 4.008 2 to 6 feet. 

3. Brown ferruginous sandstone, with casts of fossils.............. 2 feet. 

Near Dunn’s ranch a section of Campbell’s creek shows: 

ree Ee tO Ke UL Un er mee ah rata SE core eicaik Slee s 4 ares ga v8 bro 2 to 4 feet. 

UU ESTO em tT 0) SU Latent EOS la rn Bly lesan: oak se nlate osha 248 4 to 8 feet. 
3. Fossiliferous sandstone, containing oysters and Cardita plani- 

ETE R 1 Wa Dip legs 0, Sah DIE, OO Ai ce os OR A are RA ar 1 foot. 

Rep UTOWwiie ios tN rer Os Salter, stirs Nace vid 2 diva. o'hiy'y o's Fae qle GA we wie 1 to 3 feet. 

We eee A abode GSS MIOLOUS. ClAY ses... Fe bx Oe cialeti dels oi! 08d vin oe 2 feet. 
6. Indurated greensand, with corals and Cardita planicosta V.am., 

SHUN LORE) Leer et agi ie aad x tart ilee Wk to 47 Giew hehe 4 Bib 6 1 foot. 

Men} OrslirerOusriaminatod DING CIA Vice 2.65 \o .degee se Jon cess does oe oe 10 feet. 
8. Alternate strata of yellowish sand and blue clay, the clay strata 6 

inches, and sand from 4 to 8 inches thick ..........0..e00e00s- 4 feet. 

Sees PCa Pe YL VS eet ra tetera ae Wares ee oad a es See cod Ag ony 84.5 ch 8. ea bales 1¥ feet. 
Half a mile farther west a section on the same creek shows: 

Peer tL ACG y OLlO WIN DEO WI SAUL) oul yd nae seis os aoe he denas wes 10 feet. 

Semen TOV 1h SALCEMVILUIGLO BSL IC hr malware the «see Modes Poe ds cule Tek oes 2 feet. 

3. Ferruginous sandstone, with fossils ...........50... cc eee eeees 1¢ to 1] foot. 

4> HOesHilerous Sreensan Ux VISIDIE fig 6 8) pn ce oye we vin acide Pale aw be 4 feet. 


In the Wheelock region the brown prairie sands and loams cover the 


greater portion of the area. On the top of some of the higher ridges or 
knolls east of Cedar creek grayish brown sand, with occasional patches 
of a soft brown conglomerate, occurs in considerable quantities. The 
section in this portion of the prairie shows: 


iy 


Aka Ls. DLO Wilks SOL irs ke on eteuet aes oc akea Scare boty wees de as etc ah 1 to 5 feet. 


2. Brown sand, with Spirorbis leptostoma, Swain, and casts of 


oo 


FORATIA ANU SECTORS OL LLINGie ce. 3 ae Ce cna ee a et cnc ona eee 2to 6 feet. 


. Blue laminated clay, irregularly deposited in pockets, from.. 1 to 10 feet. 


. Thin stratum of fossiliferous sandstone, containing great 
numbers of Plicatula filamentosa, Conrad. ................ 6 to 10 inches. 
PERE? SAIN oy, grat tao we 6 tn wea wataten fare ene nane a ee eriahads aes § lto 4 feet. 


Along Cedar creek, from the Madisonville road bridge southward, ex- 


posures of brown and green fossiliferous sands occur for a considerable 
distance. Half a mile south of the bridge a section shows: 


em COD 


PEO mIesOll Of OVETIOW JANG «6k ese suieme iene ants ws oe wales wee 5 to 15 feet. 
Brown altered greensand, containing numerous fossils ........ 4 feet. 
Peccroinous fossiliferous sandstone 22.e. Mee coca sos sis vse 1 foot. 


Dark grayish green fossiliferous Sand 2.2.2 yc. ec cee ee eee ee eee 4 feet. 


76 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Going down the creek, another section, 100 yards farther south, shows: 


1, .Brown Ban 20 Ske rs ih ak in ke og Reals, nde Paes ea ects ee en ee 5 feet. 
2, Laminated biue-and pink Glayse. me eee ee oe ee 4 to 6 feet. 
3; Wark green fossiliférous sand +. sk ot se. eee eae te see keke ie 4 feet. 


Five hundred yards further south another section on the same creek 
shows: 


1,.° Brown sand, pottom fand 2,0 fos oe we tee ee ee et ser ate eee eee 10 feet. . 
2. Dark brown and purple brown laminated sand and clay, with fossils 
in the Band, to creeks bet sc, ce ce eee oe ee eee 2 feet. 


Throughout this region fossils occur in the different wells bored or dug 
to the depth of 30 to 50 feet. 


ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. 
SOILS. 


The soils in Robertson county may all be considered as fit for cultiva- 
tion, although poor in many portions. They belong to the two great 
divisions—the alluvial or sedimentary, and the residuary or sedentary, 
of which the alluvial, although ranking only as second in point of extent, 
is the more important—and may be subdivided as follows: 

First.—Alluvial, constituting the soils found throughout the Brazos 
river valley, on the western side of the county, and the bottom lands of 
the Navasota river, on the east, and connected with several of the larger 
creeks. 

These lands are estimated by Loughridge to include about one-fourth 
of all the soils under cultivation in the county. They lie principally in 
the area between the two Brazos rivers. The soil is an alluvial loam 
from two to ten feet deep, varying from a gray sandy to a red and black 
waxey, and the subsoil is frequently sandy and sometimes clayey, of a 
red brown color, and extends to a depth of over 30 feet, where it rests 
upon a bed of white rounded pebbles of quartz and other gravel. Where 
these soils are sandy the tillage is easy, but when the soil is clayey or 
waxey, difficult in wet seasons. They are well drained and equally well 
adapted to cotton and corn. 

These soils belong to the Brazos river lands, which are considered the 
best and most valuable in the State. An analysis from Dr. McLendon’s 
farm shows: 














KS 
SS 


greensands, 


oe 
° 
al 
oO 
oS 
i=) 
° 
2 
S 
~ 
o 
a 
~ 
teal 
° 
Zz 


Sroparneeest 
en Be Brown coal. 
Railroads. 


Sy hy 
HRS } 


--~~- County roads. 






ee 








Y eZ (/ 
y es Yj y Yy 
j Y SA ft UL Sieg N 
t, ee Y Mp, YW “Uf WN 
KK Z —I5w 
SSN N Z ZG Lf A. 


SIP 
ty 


WSS 


Tortie 


MAP OF ROBERTSON COUNTY, 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 





Soil. 
Paeouinie in NYATOCHIOFIC acid v.66. ce veces vanes 54.06 
So SAS Re Ne PRE TS ld i 11 .89—65 .45 
Pe Re eee 5 oh 22. Vas Sek 6 dy a cea Ya 0.307 
SE eee TEN ls aC on cee wae 44h 4 kang owes 0.60 
tT MR RIE) Se a rays vik ol 9 «ind bg mec aw 6% 8.07 
WTO TESTO FR 9th 6 Beg TORRE Aa ere ane 0.78 
Ore GrI aN SAN CRA SOV ds. eso adhess suv dsaeae ts 0.10 
POUR ORTECACLON a lala Sere nl ay Sets sony eh d o4 § ve ea hs 3.47 
ARS AWE ie GUN BO So Se a 5.56 
CD co SUVA STS (PGE GO eV ca NRE aI ae a 0.088 
PEI DAE Ts MCE oa ane Oh Dual Rye eee rn he trace 
GEOG Ol Pam eee ar Sei Cate de Ltn ke ca alg Ws 7.26 
ELGAR Mea rN eae he see cele ks «5's 1.63 
iN VisRe NEP Te AR POL er se a Se ire aly « Web 9) dle alee bas 6.04 
99.355 


A mechanical analysis shows the physical condition to be: 


a Ol 


Fixed. Volatile. 


MUO MALUM SL COR ME Tene Peer ulna se ae Se eu ooh ego Seeks 
CORE res iss Tate Weta SE i AGRE ca A ioe er 2.88 0.56 
MERIT RIOR a ea re eR he rey a 15.68 1.69 
PRIRCe Seu ID OhNe Chdatal bay Det Te oh gs Seo Wy wal laity 46.38 2.38 
PRT R ta EMR Meu eM eM aia  a Us cca Age ML sgl @ Wh he 20.07 . 10.36 
85.01 14.99 
WY --— + 
100 
Geta TOMI ALCL a ead ch lc Wea ewe. Vialain't's & alace 56.8 per cent. 


Analyses by Dr. W. H. Melville. 


Second.—Upland soils. 


17 


Subsoil. 
51.83 
12 .18—63 .96 
.278 
BY 
.67 
.20 
.66 
04 
13 
.082 
trace 
7.74 
1.29 
6.27 


ODO WOoOr tO OS 





100.05 


7——Subsoil—— 
Fixed. Volatile. 


0.18 0.13 
25.20 1.58 
16.08 5.64 
43 .16 8.03 
84.62 15.38 
We = 

100 


62.2 per cent. 


These cover the greater portion of the county, 


and are chiefly of a grayish sandy nature in the northern part, except in 


the prairie regions. 
overly a red or yellowish clay subsoil. 
soil, except near the timber, where they become sandy. 


They are from five to twelve inches in depth, and 
The prairies have a stiff loamy 


These soils rapidly deteriorate under prolonged cultivation, and are 


said to lose about one-fifth of their productive power in ten years. 


are early and well drained in places, and easily cultivated. 
gives the following composition :* 


They 
An analysis 


Soil Subsoil. 
Peeiniia im hydrochloric acid). i a teteweanetiagsa seas vs 89.23 90.20 
MMMRETHIGETICA rhe ar woh, ails atin Ldale's G Seldle alga ated Sears cies elu oc 3.81 3.12 
EMEMIETNELG ACLS Fs Wo sae he maldcs dre) Ode geen st siomtmmnead tac «+ 0.006 0.008 
CMT Ga 2 5°5°s Cuca teas Ge Gam ees cee ea do wee a ad. 0.032 0.044 
tp 8 10 STS ene re meee ne i eg: FOR ede) ene 0.232 0.20 


* William Fullerton league. 
*8—Geol, 


78 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Soil. Subsoil. 
t Bi tvsl; OAR ennai ALAA RGre Cree SPem ah hh mie tae Mes BA AD 1g 0.20 0.24 
Carbonic’ acide vr se sae ks eG RGLheeaaeen > LUE EER ORE ER ES 0.11 0.09 
AE) ee eee SL Ares on £4 SAA es 0.12 0.05 
Ferric -OX100 yi Wis ie eens ch CREE RERTEO CENTRE EEO EY 0.98 Le 
PA TUTTI a so Rie rts Nk scene ht eats ROE ea noes Pile ste ee a eae eee i Deere 2.27 
Manganese OxXidG hw i. \s cies stetabe se etetarstoetabote a vebatsis le hishers fe tabel oes 0.04 0.19 
SUL MU LEG ACTOS Ai Reine io gin creas aRNa setae teRcte she Mei Re tee iphone nen tee te trace trace 
FLUTE eG es eat ee es Re cE PASH LENSER ES RRR LR a ey ie se 1.67 0.73 
Yes a OO OL MAR RM Ri Te ke MCA! Rn Ay ae ihe yf 1.74 








100.03 100.03 


Their physical condition is shown by the following mechanical analysis: 





————_Soil-——_ ———Subsoil-—— 
Fixed. Volatile. Fixed. Volatile. 
Stones and ticks vias ou & goats a cit cone ee tee Auoo 0.26 2.19 0.26 
ChOATSO ISAIVG cecal ess Lee i oret te nee an 10.46 0.32 24.58 0.16 
Medium Sandee: Mee oes ee tee cee ye ee ee 48 .54 0.52 48 .84. 0.50 
AIT.0 GIO GL Cele Pe Ne tae tee Baten aber 20.35 0.85 19.11 0.60 
BMG TO BOUL cee VB a Se ek Ora Sa ee vee mee 15.51 1.83 3.00 0.76 
96 .22 aS ies: 97.72 2.28 
eT W-——~ -- — YY 
100 100 
Capacity Or waters dc cs wee teu ss ook eerneee 39.9 per cent. 35.8 per cent. 


Analyses by Dr. W. H. Melville. 


The soils of the higher grounds in the central areas are light gray sand, 
and in many places little else than a deep white sand, rendering many of 
the roads through the region almost impassable at many portions of the 
year. They are usually covered with a heavy growth of sand oak, post 
oak, and hickory, but may be considered as almost worthless for the pur- 
poses of cultivation. 

In the southern and southeastern portions of the county the extensive 
prairies are covered with a dark brown or black soil, changing to yellowish 
brown color in places, very irregular in depth, and in many places a 
brown ferruginous sandstone comes up to within a few inches of the sur- 
face. Where of sufficient depth for tillage this soil is considered good. 
This area is not much under cultivation, and is used chiefly for stock 
purposes. 


BUILDING STONES. 


The building stones of Robertson county are wholly of brown sand- 
stone, and occur in many locations along the ridges extending across the 
county from the Houston and Texas Central Railway eastward. They 
are rather coarse-grained, and contain frequent streaks or pockets of coarse 
sand or fine gravel in the form of a conglomerate. 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 79 


The sandstones found along the top of the ridge on the Denver Jones 
headright form a bed from two to four feet in thickness, and have been 
quarried for railway purposes, having been used as piers and abutments 
of bridges on the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. 

Near Hearne, another deposit of the same grade of sandstone has been 
quarried for building purposes. This deposit is small, and covers the top 
of several small rounded hills along the east side of the town. 

In the neighborhood of Franklin the hills near the town and surround- 
ing Racetrack prairie contain soft brown sandstones, which may be 
utilized for building purposes. They also occur to the west of the town, 
and at several other places in the central portion of the county. 


CLAYS. 


Throughout the greater portion of Robertson county good brick clays 
or earths are plentiful, but with the exception of one yard at Calvert and 
two at Hearne, no permanent brick making is carried on, and even the 
yard at Calvert has been idle for some time. In only one of the yards 
_at Hearne is work carried on continuously and systematically. This 
yard, that of Mr. Robb, employs about twenty men during the busy 
season, and during 1892 the total output was 1,250,000, at a value of 
$12,500. The bricks are hand-made and dried under cover. In burn- 
ing, bituminous coal is chiefly used. The smaller Elliot yard turned 
out 500,000. 

In the northeastern portion of the county deposits of clay suitable for 
the manufacture of the finer grades of earthenware exist. Clays closely 
approximating the Kosse fire clays also exist in this region. These clays 
were examined by Prof. Streeruwitz a number of years ago and consid- 
ered a fine grade of fire clay. The extent and locations of these deposits 
can not as yet be given, but will appear in the report on the clays of the 
State now in course of preparation. 


BROWN COAL. 


The great East Texas brown coal belt extends through Robertson 
county from the eastern boundary in a west by south or nearly south- 
westerly direction to the Brazos river, and comprises an area of almost 
one-third of the entire county. ‘The northern boundary of this lignitic 
area is co-existent with, and extends across, the northern line of the 
county, and the southern limit of the field lies along a line extending 
from the Navasota river westward to Owensville, and then along the 
northern bank of Muddy creek to the Brazos river, near the mouth of 
Little river, in Milam county. This region embraces Tidwell, Beck, 


80 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


Head, Heard, and Bald, together with a series of other smaller prairies 
lying across the center and in the northern portion of the county. 

Throughout the whole of this area, with perhaps a portion of the ex- 
treme northwestern corner of the county, brown coal occurs in greater or 
less quantities and at various depths, embracing eleven seams lying at 
depths ranging from 15 to 320 feet, and ranging in thickness from 13 to 
21 feet, of which six seams contain enough to allow them to be worked. 
These workable deposits fall into two divisions of three seams each, dif- 
fering chiefly on account of the depth and accessibility. The first divi- 
sion comprises the following: 


Thickness 
Location, infeet, Of Prown coal, optainable, 
Ti Calvestebliitiy.caet esis & cone alts Week Chee retiee t 15 12 Stripping. 
2 Peters {planta ti ON vies naa ssa ane 46 5 Shaft. 
Bp EOC  PIATIGs Wes | wikvc mus Me wheels ucees Fhe Mie AML 62 7 Shaft. 


These brown coals are all available at the localities given. No. 1 can 
also be reached without difficulty at Dr. George McLendon’s farm and 
other points on the Little Brazos river. 

In the second division, although three localities are given, it is more 
than probable that two of them (Nos. 1 and 2) belong to the same seam. 


Depth, Thickness How 


Location. of brown coal, obtain- 


in feet. in feet. able. 
Lo tJesse VW CbDeaguen ica atl oe eae cen tae tN oreE 220 21 Shaft. 
Dat Ws dds Oe OLELS + PIANTALION 00. cigs ase ie os ae Bynes 240 18 Shaft. 
3. Gibson's wellat Calvert. fy ecco ei Gates eee 320 10 Shaft. 


Mines operating these seams will probably all require pumping to keep 
them dry, and can not be worked profitably under the present condition 
of the trade. 

In the northwestern portion of the county the lignitic beds are repre- 
sented merely by thin seams of lignitic clay and lamine of lignite of no 
value whatever. 

The best exposures of brown coal are seen on the Brazos river at Cal- 
vert Bluff, where three seams of 12 feet, 3 feet, and 3 feet, aggregating 
18 feet, are exposed near the center of the bluff. The deposits shown 
here continue for a distance of nearly a mile up and down the river. 

Several exposures occur in the banks of the Little Brazos, on the 
Joseph and Jesse Webb leagues. In this region the most important open- 
ing is that on Dr. George McLendon’s farm, where the brown coal shows 
a thickness of 8 feet overlaid by 23 feet of brown and gray sand and 
sandstones. A similar exposure also occurs a short distance down the 
same river. 

Near the north side of the John Fisher headright a shaft 60 feet deep 
cuts a brown coal deposit six feet in thickness, and on Wilson creek, near 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 81 


the center of the William Fullerton league, another shaft passed through 
three seams of brown coal at 55, 70, and 80 feet. In this region the 
brown coal is also exposed in the bank of the creek. 

In the prairie regions brown coal appears near the surface at various lo- 
calities, and is exposed in several of the creeks and washouts. At Head- 
ville, on the C. C. Seal headright, the exposed brown coal is from 4 to 
6 feet thick, and the deposit on Wilson creek is from 4 to 6 feet. Asa 
general rule, however, the surface exposures are thin and of no economic 
value. Thus the exposure on the Captain Orvis farm, on the southwest 
corner of the George Robertson league, is not more than two feet of 
broken crumbly lignite. Another outcrop of a similar nature occurs in 
a small creek near the center of the Joseph Fisher league. The lignite at 
this locality is broken and crumbly at the south end, or toward the head 
of the creek, but as the bed extends northward it becomes dark brown 
in color and assumes a woody or peaty structure, having the character- 
istic odor of the latter when freshly broken. ‘This lignite also contains 
numerous fragments of leaves. The heavier deposits found throughout 
the prairie regions all lie at depths of 45 feet and over. 

Brown coal also occurs in the neighborhood of Owensville, where it is 
overlaid by a red sandstone. At Hearne the brown coal is found ata 
depth of 408 feet, while in the neighborhood of Wheelock, and at several 
localities between that place and Franklin, wells 50 to 60 feet deep fre- 
quently cut through beds. 

In the valley of the Brazos, and in the region lying between the two 
rivers, brown coal occurs in well borings generally at depths of 30 to 
400 feet. This is, however, of a poor quality and in no great quantity. 

Desultory mining and prospecting work have been carried on at various 
times for a number of years. A shaft 65 feet deep was dug several years 
ago about three miles north of Calvert, on Mr. John Walker’s land. An- 
other shaft, over 100 feet in depth, was dug on Beck’s prairie by the 
Texas Coal Company, and several smaller shafts have also been made in 
different portions of the county by several parties. 

Brown coal has been mined and shipped at different times from Calvert 
Bluff, and a quantity estimated at 300 tons has been obtained from a sur- 
face opening at Dr. George McLendon’s place on the Little Brazos. | 

The neglect or abandonment of these operations are not due to any 
peculiar defect within the material itself, nor to any serious obstacle in 
the way of mining, as the workable beds show as good facilities as many 
now mined, but is due altogether to a lack of facilities for transportation. 
The beds lie mostly at too great distances from the railways traversing 
the county, and the cost of teaming is much greater than the prices ob- 
tainable for this class of fuel will stand. 


82 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


TIMBER. 


Robertson county is fairly well timbered. Of the 869 square miles, 
comprising the total area of the county, probably 650, or nearly four- 
fifths of the whole, are more or less covered with timber of fairly good 
growth. Throughout the higher lands, post oak, red oak, blackjack 
oak, hickory, and elm form the prevailing timber, and the bottom lands, 
where not in cultivation, are covered with pin oak, walnut, pecan, cedar, 
ash, and cottonwood, with several varieties of smaller trees. Along the 
western side of the county a great area is covered with mesquite brush. 


WATER SUPPLY. 


Robertson county may be considered as fairly well watered. The 
Navasota river, with its large tributaries, such as Duck and Big Cedar 
creeks, on the east and south, and the Brazos and Little Brazos rivers, 
with Walnut, Muddy, Spring, and Campbell’s creeks on the west, con- 
tain a supply ample for stock and other purposes throughout the whole 
or a greater portion of the year. ‘The other and smaller streams are 
usually dry, or exist only in the form of a chain of small pools during 
the summer or dry months. 

There are few springs in the county, but water can readily be ob- 
tained from wells of medium depth almost anywhere. In nearly every 
locality the water so obtained is of a very fair quality. 

According to the Census bulletin (No. 1938,) the number of artesian 
wells in Robertson county in June, 1890, was 120, showing an average 
depth for shallow wells of 165 feet, and 750 feet for deep wells, or an 
average of 464 feet. These wells have an average flow of eleven gallons 
per minute, and the average cost per well was $189 Since that time 
many more wells have been bored in various portions of the county, in 
all of which water has been found at various depths, although a number 
require pumping. . 

The flowing wells are all confined to the southern portion of the area 
of the Brazos valley as far east as Hearne and Calvert. Wells bored in 
that portion of the valley lying north of a line drawn from Calvert west- 
ward to the Brazos river near Calvert bluff are generally very deep, and 
in every case require the water to be pumped from 100 to 120 feet. 

In the Mesquite prairie region, along the eastern side of the Brazos 
valley, three wells at Hearne bored to a depth of 520, 700, and 720 feet 
are all flowing wells. Three wells at Calvert obtained water at an aver- 
age depth of 600 feet, which may also be considered as flowing wells, 
although the water in two of them does not rise more than a foot or two 


ROBERTSON COUNTY. 83 


above the surface. The well at the water works obtains its supply at a 
depth of 587 feet, and provides 135,000 gallons daily. Still farther 
north, at Bremond, a well said to be 1500 feet deep requires pumping. 

In the eastern portion of the county the only well of which any record 
has been obtained is a 1208-foot bored well at Franklin, from which the 
water has to be obtained by pumping from a depth of 80 feet. 

From all the data at present obtainable there appears to be but slight, 
if any, chance of artesian water being obtained anywhere outside of the 
area in the immediate vicinity of the Brazos river and its valley. 


MINERAL SPRINGS. 


There are several mineral springs in Robertson county, but those of 
only two localities are utilized for either commercial purposes or as health 
or pleasure resorts. 

Wooten Wells, the more important of the two, is situated about three 
miles west of Bremond, with which place it is connected by a short line 
of railway. There are here four springs, or wells, showing the following 
analyses :* 














No. 1. No. 2, No. 3. No. 4. 
CUPOr rer ii GU LOLI GH ad as «oes sv ele chess eas nee 24.34 33.13 35.46 36.36 
PT GMBUEOUGOMIC OP a ta. sacle tc Cdedansceetedes Ei Gis ets aca at heer, MER ear ae 
Pion LO LG Aart et yicls: be a d-arele Sow! diss aes Oe s 0.99 OS irs Sees 13.06 
Pee LG Rae etre ate Wo ne oe Rate ae Soe sa Se eek ciewl wae. Wie wees re 
PANEER INTE Gs Cal ak 8 Te Gi ASS eA San oP 0.54 04 15.05 ) 0.57 
PAT UIAT VER TENTL ETON SCLALOM itte W's Wiad hOy vais <8 ¥ creo hork wed KE eee OM aS wide Ale! earoenis Witlee ¢s 
PU LUMTLIVELIIAY BORO ULORIOUG sic) sil. oe al dalties siaa’e es 1.22 PDO awe, « 3.46 
SL eM seri a as So aad, os weet e: Sais Sis! wa Be area tho SS dies VAN OS) My Tee 18.10 
MU POMOD EMEC Tale cena ic aan dicta So 4 alent a ol oo) oh Sala eek 13.11 11.38 17.49 22.75 
BisIClU a O MIN Gls dcaam cde 2 files de ewe ee etal e 25.21 25.89 27 .10 28.11 
Bde ante yrs cask was ees adele d adda cers a4 3.28 BN aie ay, 4.08 
pulphuric acic in’ sulphates i466 oe Veale ss 59.67 67 .23 79.25 86.41 © 
Volatile and organic matter.............008. OSG 2M aghast 12.25 
ORANG Se editea aterm iaheraie siiaastiea a washee saree 139,907) 168.11" 186.60). 212,90 


At Franklin the wells known as the Overall mineral wells are used 
commercially chiefly. The analyses of the two wells located here are: 





*Bulletin No. 32, U.S. Geological Survey. Analysis No.1 by C. F. Chandler, 
Nos. 2, 3, and 4 by W. M. Mew. 


84 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF TEXAS. 


No. 1.* 

Chloride Of BOCIUMN ss Nita ce en has ele nie eee eines ne teats ina 9.715 
SUIPDATS OE BOGIUIMN:, .. atic ese oat tees ciel eee ean 7a. ae Net Nene 7.100 
Sulphate-of potassium swe cs wae see ee melee seth a ks are 0.752 
Sulphate oLtalaminaic ee eek tes ae eee eee heey ue 1.700 
Sulphate of protoxide OL iron ts 7s ipk oe ices Westie licker poe sue @ 75.952 
Sulphate Of TiMegacy wows wks. c esl Aue te eae Mitts slats epee ctican roe 20.965 
PULP DATATOLINAONORIA 20. Co do Sahl ec etae paltry came etnies a eect es 13.063 
SUI PH SCG OF VATION IE. et. wad sch eee im cert Mn even cera tothe aa trace 
EOE Bh ome tN ha MAREE ANL Ii GE rae te RIA oA te alia ads UM To} 2.041 
Organic and volatile matter un tine iy eile ese ans eeu uke 2.450 
Lotalbgprans in UsS gallon eae cow eu es. beet 133.738 


These waters are acid. 


* Analyses by Dr. Everhart. 


IN'Os5 204 
8.0538 
41.118 
2.500 
4.898 
144.903 
37 .095 


260 .843 











7) 









































3. BLACK SHOALS. 
p. 96. 























































































































2. MOUTH OF Z 
LITTLE BRAZOS. 
p. 53. 









































































































































Water Line. 


























1. MOSELY’s FERRY. 4, OYSTER BLUFF. 5. SANDSTONE, 
p. 52. Sec. 1, p. 68. p. 78, 



































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